Teachers are devising creative tactics to limit their students’ cell phone use in class. While some students must keep their phones in lockers, others keep them in punches they can only access at the end of the school day. Of course, the honor system is another method.
Although teachers have struggled to capture students’ attention for many years, some policymakers are beginning to recognize the problem. Three states recently passed regulations banning or restricting cell phone use in schools. Florida was the first to do so in 2023.
Not all limitations are the same: while some schools forbid phone use inside the school facilities, others permit students to use phones during lunch and between classes.
States that have implemented the ban on cell phones
According to the National Centre for Education Statistics, more than 75% of K-12 public schools prohibit cell phone use for the 2021–2022 academic year.
Florida became the first state last year to require its public schools to ban cell phone use in school. As of 2024 alone, lawmakers in at least eight states have considered enacting laws to accomplish the same.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed a bill earlier this year requiring school districts to limit the use of cell phones in the classroom. Similarly, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill to create an official policy governing the use of cell phones during school hours.
Oklahoma, Washington, Kansas, Vermont, and Connecticut have also introduced similar policies.
Cell phones distract students throughout the school period.
Kris Hagel is the Chief Information Officer at Peninsula School District in Washington state. Peninsula School District has 17 schools and about 8,700 students. According to Hagel, the school district was getting complaints of distracted students from parents, principals, teachers, and even fellow students.
The children were not paying attention to the teachers in any of the classrooms. They were preoccupied and using their phones, Hagel added. Since the district banned cell phones from classes last academic year, Hagel claims there has been a discernible shift in the level of student involvement.
According to a Common Sense Media analysis, a group of teenagers revealed that they received around 240 cellphone alerts over the day, with a quarter of the notifications occurring during school hours.
According to Stateline analysis of a survey of college students from 37 states and Alberta, Canada, both young and elderly people are distracted by cell phones. The average respondent spends 19% of their class time using smart devices for non-class use.
Students reactions to the ban on cell phones
Those who support phone-free schools claim students’ academic success and mental health are improving.
Parents are also worried about school safety. Some administrators argue that cell phone policies might not be good if they are applied universally.
Shahad Mohieldin, a program coordinator for the Women’s Project, told USA TODAY that phones are a part of daily life.
Mohieldin began a petition on change.org to overturn the ban on cell phones at multiple schools in Washington, DC. “I understand they can be annoying,” but students use their phones for more than just messaging; they use them as calculators and to listen to music to help them concentrate.
