EDUCATION| Q&A
Lawmakers in a growing number of states moved forward with laws that would crack down on cell-phones in schools.
Since January, at least 11 states amended laws or passed new ones, while similar legislation failed in four others, according to an analysis produced by the Becca Schmill Foundation, the Institute for Families and Technology, Smartphone-Free Childhood US and Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation.
"When we think about distraction-free learning, building community and all the things we hear about with the anxious generation, improving student well-being is vital and is a vital goal for these policies," said Emily Rapp, policy director at the Institute for Families and Technology.
Bell-to-bell phone bans are among the strategies proposed in a new surgeon general's advisory warning of the threat excessive screen time can pose to kids. However, new research found little evidence of the purported benefits touted by ban supporters.
Which states have bans?
In 2026, Indiana and Kansas joined North Dakota and Rhode Island in implementing policies that meet what advocates call the gold standard for keeping schools phone-free. Under a strict bell-to-bell policy, students must keep their phones in inaccessible locations throughout the entire school day.
Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming recently passed or updated less-restrictive legislation on phones in schools, according to the policy assessment. Similar changes could soon come in Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation June 1 that would require all school districts to adopt phone restrictions, while leaving the details up to local officials. If the bill clears the Senate, which already passed a different version of the proposal with near-unanimous support, it will head to the desk of Gov. Josh Shapiro, who expressed his support for a ban.
Under the measure, districts would have to roll out their new ban by the start of the 2027-28 academic year.
On May 31, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring all public and charter schools in the state to adopt policies restricting student use of cellphones, tablets and other devices during class time. If signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, who supported banning cellphones in schools, the Illinois State Board of Education will publish a template policy by Sept. 1 that can be used by local school districts.
Montana is the only state that hasn't introduced some kind of legislation on phones in schools, according to Rapp. Phone ban bills recently failed in Connecticut, Mississippi, South Dakota and Washington, earning those states an "F" on the policy report card.
Why enact them?
The U.S. Surgeon General's Office warned May 20 that "compulsive" screen use is linked to poor sleep, substance abuse and developmental disruptions as well as mental health, behavioral and social struggles in children and teens. The advisory suggested that school cellphone bans are one tool that could help curb excessive screen time.
Ban supporters like Lina Nealon, director of strategic partnerships at the Institute for Families and Technology, say the strictest bans can improve academic performance, boost students' mental and physical health, increase teacher satisfaction, protect student privacy and foster school community relationships.
"This is now a public health issue. It's an educational issue," Nealon said. "We do not let schools decide on a case-by-case basis or districts decide on a case-by-case basis what their smoking on campus policies are going to be or how they're going to address asbestos. This issue is at that level."
Do they work?
A study of schools that required students to keep their devices in lockable pouches found that while the policy does meaningfully reduce phone use, it did not appear to affect test scores, attendance, self-reported classroom attention or perceived online bullying.
The research, published in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research, also found disciplinary incidents like suspensions rose and students' reported well-being fell in the first year the bans were implemented, but these effects receded in subsequent years. Though the results were surprising, study co-author and Stanford University Professor Thomas Dee said, he still has hope that phone bans can help students succeed.
Bans sparked some pushback, particularly from parents who want to be able to get in touch with their children directly in case of an emergency such as a school shooting.
Those fears were underscored when the Monroe County Community School Corp., based in Bloomington, Indiana, received a "nonspecific threat" and locked down all its buildings. Parents only heard from the school about it a few hours later in an email.
"This is now a public health issue. It's an educational issue."
Lina Nealon, director of strategic partnerships at the Institute for Families and Technology
