Cell Phones
In 2024, half a century after the first cell phone was introduced, 98 percent of Americans owned one, with 91 percent owning a smartphone. Cell phone ownership is fairly equal across gender, race, age, and political party. [1][2][3][4]
Globally, in 2024 there were 4.88 billion smartphone users (about 60 percent of the global population) and some 7 billion smartphones in use. China led with almost 975 million smartphone users, followed by India with 659 million. The United States, in comparison, had about 276 million smartphone users. Projections estimate that smartphone users will increase by more than 30 percent, to 6.38 billion, by 2029. [5]
Statistics on cell phone ownership by minors are difficult to come by because adults typically purchase the phone and phone contract. But, according to a 2024 survey, 62 percent of American parents and guardians reported that their children had their own cell phones. Another survey found that 42 percent of American kids had a smartphone by age 10 and that 91 percent had one by age 14. This early use of smartphones is mirrored worldwide. By age 12, 97 percent of kids in the United Kingdom and 75 percent of kids in Spain had a cell phone. [6][7][8]
An overwhelming majority of American 11- to 17-year-olds (97 percent) reported using their cell phones while in school for a median of 43 minutes per day. [9]
A federal survey found that 91 percent of individual American schools banned nonacademic cell phone use during the 2009–10 school year. As educational apps began to pop up, schools relaxed their restrictions on technology, and by the 2015–16 school year, only 66 percent of schools restricted phone use. However, by the 2019–20 school year, school cell phone bans had skyrocketed, with 76.9 percent of schools implementing a policy. The most recent data, from the 2020–21 school year, shows only a slight dip, to 76.1 percent. [10][11]
In fact, with the escalating use of cell phones by students, the growing concern about the effect of social media on teens, and the publication of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s highly influential book The Anxious Generation (2024), state governments have begun to restrict (or strongly suggest restricting) cell phone possession and use during the school day. Haidt has long lobbied for cell phone-free schools (as well as kids and teens using less technology in general), calling the smartphone “a tool of mass distraction.” Haidt’s book has been especially influential in the K–12 education field, resulting in town hall meetings across the country specifically to discuss this issue, and many educators have cited The Anxious Generation as a turning point in their thinking. [12][13][14][15]
As of May 30, 2025, at least 23 U.S. states had some sort of cell phone restriction guidance in place. Policies include exceptions for individualized education programs (IEPs) and 504 plans that accommodate students with disabilities and additional learning needs, as well as students with medical needs that phones help manage (such as diabetes). [12][13][14][15]
Banning cell phone use in schools is a worldwide phenomenon. According to a 2023 UNESCO report, almost 25 percent of countries worldwide ban cell phones in schools, and bans are more common in Central and South Asian countries. [16]
No matter the country, cell phone bans take a few basic forms:
- Total bans: Students are not allowed to have cell phones (and, likely, other Internet-connected devices) on school campuses. Banned devices are confiscated to varying degrees (returned at the end of the day, a parent may be required to collect it, or the device is returned at the end of the school year, for example).
- Bell-to-bell bans: Students are not allowed to access their cell phones between the first bell, indicating the start of school, and the last bell, indicating the end of school. Students are generally allowed to use phones during after-school activities but may not use phones during lunch or other breaks in instruction. Phones are either required to be put away in a specific location (lockers, book bags, etc.) or locked in cell phone bags that are either stored with the student or in a centralized location.
- Partial bans: Students are allowed to use their phones during noninstructional times such as between classes or at lunch. Students are generally required to silence their phones or put them on airplane mode and may be required to store phones in bags or lockers.
Cell phone policies also generally include other Internet, Bluetooth, or cellular-connected devices including earbuds, tablets, smartwatches, and non-smartphones (also called “dumbphones”). The last two have been recently marketed to parents as an alternative for kids who are considered too young for a smartphone but who need a means of communication. Some policies also include exceptions for teachers to allow use of phones and other devices during class time for instruction. [17][18]
Of course, the debate over cell phone bans in schools overlaps significantly with debates about social media in general, from mental wellness to national security concerns, including the use of popular apps such as TikTok.
So, should cell phones be banned in school? Explore the debate below.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Pro 1: Cell phone bans protect students from physical, mental, and digital dangers. Read More. | Con 1: Cell phone bans prevent vital communication during emergencies. Read More. |
| Pro 2: Cell phone bans minimize distractions for students and teachers. Read More. | Con 2: Cell phone bans prevent kids and teens from learning self-control and good digital citizenship. Read More. |
| Pro 3: Cell phones bans advance educational goals. Read More. | Con 3: Cell phone bans promote panic over new technology. Read More. |
Pro Arguments
(Go to Con Arguments)Pro 1: Cell phone bans protect students from physical, mental, and digital dangers.
Cell phones in schools can escalate tiny issues into big deals. Cyberbullying is now immediate and widespread. It can take mere seconds via social media to reach not only most students within a school but also the outside world. [10][19]
Increasingly, cell phones are used to escalate conflicts to the point of violence. Shari Obrenski, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, explained that high school students use cell phones to schedule, record, and post fights to social media: “They were using the phones to create chaos and perpetuate violence in our schools.” [10][19]
The New York Times reviewed more than 400 school fight videos and “found a pattern of middle and high school students exploiting phones and social media to arrange, provoke, capture and spread footage of brutal beatings among their peers.” Some students later died from their injuries. [20]
“Young people’s fast-changing tech habits have made it harder to prevent and contain student aggression, school officials said. Many students now use more private channels—like Snapchat, iMessage and AirDrop, Apple’s wireless file-sharing system—to set up and share fights rather than Instagram or TikTok,” reported journalist Natasha Singer. [20]
This means that banning social media or preventing student devices from accessing the school’s Wi-Fi are ineffective measures. Cell phone bans, on the other hand, completely remove this method of conflict escalation.
Cell phone bans also provide individual students with protection from physical and mental discomfort. A study found that “when iPhone users were unable to answer their ringing iPhone during a word search puzzle, heart rate and blood pressure increased, [and] self-reported feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness increased.” Hearing the unanswered phone especially spurs FOMO (fear of missing out) among youth. There is no need for kids and teens to experience such pressure and anxiety. Removing the phones altogether gives students breathing room (literally and figuratively) away from devices. [21]
Finally, cell phone bans protect student privacy and data. More users on a Wi-Fi network means that the network is more vulnerable to attack thanks to traffic congestion, insufficient security practices (IheartDavid is not a secure password), and an increased likelihood that someone clicks a phishing link. Attacks compromise not only student data stored by the school itself, including addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers, but also data on students’ individual devices, exposing a wide variety of private data from conversations to bank accounts and medical records. [22][23][24]
Pro 2: Cell phone bans minimize distractions for students and teachers.
The “brain drain” hypothesis asserts that “the mere presence” of a cell phone takes up mental space, which leaves a person with a lowered capacity and analytic ability for other tasks. Even when a person is successfully focusing on a task, the effort needed to avoid the temptation of checking the phone reduces both available working memory capacity and functional fluid intelligence. [25]
Put simply, humans cannot multitask. People’s functional IQ drops 10 points when they try to do so, about the same effect as a lost night’s sleep and more than double the effect of smoking marijuana. Multitasking and fending off temptations are even harder for young people, whose brains and emotional maturity are still in formation. Restricting when and where students may use cell phones reduces the temptation to multitask and eliminates the nonstop notification pings from apps and texts that have a distracting Pavlovian effect on younger and older people alike. [18][26][27][29][30]
Researchers found that “defined and protected periods of separation” reduced the “brain drain” effect of cell phones. Thus, students placing cell phones in their lockers, locked cell phone bags, or another designated place (not their own school bags or pockets) allows students to focus on their education and in-person school relationships. [25]
Furthermore, “for students with learning differences and disorders such as ADHD—or who are struggling with learning for any reason—the temptation to look at their phone and not participate in class is tremendous. While these students often disengage in other ways…having access to constant, algorithm-driven content creates a rabbit hole that’s all too easy for them to get deeply lost in. While phones might be helpful for specific learning tasks for students with disabilities, free-range access hurts learning and engagement,” explained psychiatrist Candida Fink. [31]
Overwhelming majorities of high school teachers (72 percent) and American adults who support cell phone bans (91 percent) believe that cell phones are distractions in schools. Even some students agree, such as Atlanta high school student Emmies, who said, “If older generations were able to make it 8 hours without checking an Instagram story, then so can we.” [32][33][34]
Pro 3: Cell phones bans advance educational goals.
While not all support a full cell phone ban, 68 percent of American adults support a cell phone ban during instructional time. [32]
One study found that “students who were not using their mobile phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones.” [35]
Studies abound with supporting evidence that students across ages and nationalities who are not in possession of their cell phones (or connected devices such as smartwatches) perform better on educational tasks such as quizzes. [36][37][38][39][40]
Furthermore, 50 percent of American adults who favor cell phone bans say that a good reason for cell phone restrictions during instruction is that students are less likely to cheat without access to a cell phone. [32]
With virtually everything at their fingertips on an Internet-connected phone, students can not only look up answers but also use AI chatbots to generate text, thus evading in-class writing assignments.
Researchers also found that removing cell phones from instructional time for low-achieving students and students with special needs added the equivalent of one hour a week (about five extra days per school year) of instructional time that was not spent on regulating cell phone use and digital distractions. [41]
Pro quotes
Author AnneMoss Rogers stated:
We know this age is in a more sensitive brain development phase and therefore more susceptible to what they are exposed to in a digital world with few guardrails and a lot of bad actors wanting to bend young minds for profit. As a former digital marketing business owner and expert, I know the lengths social platforms go to to keep kids on their apps. And they spend hundreds of millions to do it.
I don’t mean kids should put their smartphones in their pockets on silent while they buzz incessantly, or even turned off.
They are still too accessible and students will work around those rules because nothing is stronger than the pull of a peer wanting their attention or the number of likes they might have on their social media post.
We need to adopt the option they use at concerts—putting them in a locked bag at the beginning of the school day which yes, takes effort. Once they are disallowed, you’d have the time and resources to engage the SROs (school resource officers) to help with this task. And I’m going to bet they’d be willing since so many of the school problems they deal with involve a smartphone. [50]
Marty Makary, physician and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, stated:
America’s children are hurting. Behind in school after pandemic closures, many children are now struggling with another major barrier to learning—smartphone addiction. Two-thirds of Americans [sic] students say they are distracted by their digital devices during class.
There’s also a second-hand smoke effect: More than half of students are distracted by the devices of other students, according to a 2022 Program for International Student Assessment study. It’s a complex problem. But one solution is embarrassingly simple—ban phones in America’s classrooms.
As a society, we don’t allow alcohol or drugs in schools. Why should we allow highly-addictive phones to be used in the same setting? [51]
Los Angeles Times Editorial Board stated:
It should be obvious by now that having a pocket-size entertainment center that constantly buzzes with alerts and enticements is not great for kids’ ability to focus and learn. (It’s not great for adults either.)...
It’s clear that the presence of cellphones on campus is more harmful than helpful. Kids need an intervention, and schools are right to rein in this technology now before another generation suffers.…
Yes, it will be difficult to change the behavior of both students, who are loath to part with their phones, and their parents, who are accustomed to being able to reach their kids at any time of the day. Yes, some students will try to evade the rules. The first weeks and months of a cellphone ban will be challenging for teachers, administrators, students and parents. This will be a major culture change, but a worthy one.
And it’s quite possible that by the end of the school year, students and educators will look back and think, “Why didn’t we do this earlier?” [52]
Author Jonathan Haidt stated:
No school ever regrets going phone-free.
Benefits are large and come quickly.
Tell the head of your child’s school that you want kids to attend to each other, and to their teachers, not their phones. [53]
Con Arguments
(Go to Pro Arguments)Con 1: Cell phone bans prevent vital communication during emergencies.
Regardless of the emergency—from a school shooting to a panic attack—students should be able to easily and immediately contact emergency services and their parents (or other responsible adults) if needed.
While most American adults who oppose cell phone bans (60 percent) agree, larger percentages of adults who are likely to have a school-age child agree: of adults who oppose the ban, 68 percent between ages 18 and 29 and 63 percent between ages 30 and 49 believe that parents should be able to contact their child via cell phone during the school day. [32]
Cellphones are “the way for us to communicate if there’s any type of problems going on at school, and I don’t need to go into the details—we know what’s happened before,” said Carline Dumoulin, a mother of two Florida high school students. [42]
Dumoulin is referring to the 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in which 14 students were killed. Students were in possession of their cell phones during the shooting, which not only allowed for communication with their loved ones but also gave prosecutors a wealth of evidence at the shooter’s trial. [42]
While emergencies may be rare, “this is a generation that has grown up with a marked increase in school shootings and things like ALICE [alert, lockdown, inform, counter, and evacuate] drill trainings,” explained Meryl Alper, associate professor of communication studies at Northeastern University. Because “those threats are very central in the psyche” of younger generations, just having a cell phone nearby may relieve some anxiety, which may allow students to focus more on school work. [12]
The fact is that cell phones are now an integral part of modern society. Few adults leave home without a cell phone. Why should kids and teens be expected to function differently? As Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, explained, “All families rely on cell phones to stay connected and communicate now more than ever. Whether it’s connecting in case of an emergency, planning after school logistics or even if a child is feeling anxious about an issue in school and needs positive reinforcement or advice—it’s clear that parents want to be able to have clear and open channels of communication with their own children. Banning cell phones outright in school or treating them like contraband instead of using effective classroom management is entirely unreasonable and not grounded in the reality we will live in.” [43]
Rather than imposing an unrealistic ban, each individual teacher should set manageable classroom expectations that work with their instructional style.
Con 2: Cell phone bans prevent kids and teens from learning self-control and good digital citizenship.
At this point in history, getting a cell phone is a milestone. It figures heavily into “the process of separation-individuation, where [kids and teens] are learning how to navigate social situations with less support from caregivers and establishing their own identity and self-esteem; they are also seeking out peer approval as opposed to parental approval,” according to researchers. [44]
Fighting against such milestones with bans is an unwinnable, Sisyphean battle that does not serve students. “We need to teach students how to use cellphones and when to use them responsibly. If you just ban them, what are we really accomplishing when they go out into the workforce? How do they know when it’s appropriate, where it’s appropriate, how it’s appropriate to use them? The teenage years are the years we figure things out,” explained Candice Breaux of West Baton Rouge Parish Schools in Louisiana. [45]
A UNESCO report cautioned that “students need to learn the risks and opportunities that come with technology, develop critical skills, and understand [how] to live with and without technology. Shielding students from new and innovative technology can put them at a disadvantage. It is important to look at these issues with an eye on the future and be ready to adjust and adapt as the world changes.” [16]
With technology rapidly evolving, students need to know how to responsibly use the incredibly powerful device practically glued to their hands. As Richard Culatta, International Society for Technology in Education CEO, argued, “I want my kids to learn about good tech use in an educational setting from a qualified educator…who can help them find balance and spark curiosity. Any amount of abdicating that responsibility is neglecting one of the most critical tasks we have as parents and educators in a digital world.” [46]
In another instance, Culatta noted, “In some way, shape, or form, we have to help young people learn how to use these tools in effective ways, if you want them to be successful in the future.” [45]
Con 3: Cell phone bans promote panic over new technology.
Panic almost always accompanies new technology. When schools were first being introduced, they were going to “exhaust the children’s brains and nervous systems with complex and multiple studies, and ruin their bodies by protracted imprisonment,” according to an 1883 medical journal. Excessive academic study by anyone was thought to be a sure path to mental illness. Calculators were going to destroy kids’ grasp of math concepts. And the debate about whether the Internet will make people stupid still rages. [47][69]
Yet, kids and teens still go to school and use calculators (on their phones) and use the Internet. Cell phones are just the next useful technology. Phones offer a wealth—in quantity and quality—of digital educational apps that “allow students to remain engaged for longer periods of time, progress their learning journeys at an individualized pace, and free up valuable teacher time for small-group instruction and social-emotional learning,” according to former school principal and president of education technology company Mrs. Wordsmith Brandon Cardet-Hernandez. [48]
Educational apps make learning more personalized, accessible, fun, and flexible, which keeps individual students more engaged. Students can collaborate globally on apps and use fun gamified learning tools such as Duolingo and Khan Academy. Apps, when combined with good teachers, meet kids and teens where they are and help them succeed. [49]
Finally, with tight school budgets and ever-evolving technology, it makes good fiscal sense to utilize a personal device that a vast majority of students already own and love. [48]
Con quotes
Educator Karen Gross stated:
With the LA fires, immigration threats and other disasters, it is my view that creating cell phone free environments in schools will harm both student and parent mental wellness (both of which are a concern).
Sure, we can have baskets at the front of the class where phones can be dropped while class commences (for all or some of the class time) but that is VASTLY different from outright bans and locked cell phone boxes/devices at school entrances to hold student phones until the students depart. Those holders look and are confining and some appear ominous too (prison like). [54]
Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, former school principal and president of education technology company Mrs. Wordsmith, stated:
We cannot look away from the strong relationship between students and their phones. When I was a teacher and later a principal—and as a member of a different generation—it took time for me to understand this fully. Phones felt like a barrier between me and the students I taught. I had 10th graders reading on a 3rd grade level and I needed to understand how to close the gap that I knew could so dramatically change their health and socioeconomic prospects.
Something clicked for me when I recognized that a device could be a tool and a gateway for learning, not just a barrier. The reality of today’s classrooms is that students are accustomed to having their phones around—and they have been conditioned to engage fluently with technology. For many kids, especially in districts that lack resources to provide alternative devices to students, the phone serves as a calculator, translator, mini-computer, and a door to information.
Meanwhile, educators have seen an explosion of powerful digital tools for learning, many of which are app-based. These tools allow students to remain engaged for longer periods of time, progress their learning journeys at an individualized pace, and free up valuable teacher time for small-group instruction and social-emotional learning. [48]
Richard Culatta, International Society for Technology in Education CEO, stated:
Banning phones sends the wrong message.
The value of a young person’s phone is entirely dependent on what they are doing with it at any given moment. Digital activities can range from meaningful (reading, connecting with distant family members, etc) to meaningless (playing Candy Crush) or even harmful (cyberbullying). I use the term “screen value” to describe the level of benefit a kid gets from digital activities. When we ban phones, we are communicating to kids that none of the activities on their device have any real value. This is exactly the exact opposite message we should be sending. While meaningless, and certainly harmful, digital activities have no place at school, a phone ban takes away the opportunity to teach that there are valuable and enriching activities that can be done on those same devices. [46]
High school student Olivia Faith stated:
Last year when there was a call that a shooter was in the high school, parents, students and even school staff were terrified. I had my phone on me because I was having some health issues and had a pass for it. When the school went on lockdown, I texted my step dad who is a police officer, and he told me that multiple other schools got the same call, and it was not real. Although the situation was still very scary, I got outside information that helped calm me and the people around me. Without my phone, I would not have been able to get this information. If more students had their phones that day, everyone would’ve felt much safer.
The main argument for why students are not allowed to have their phones in class is that students would be on them all the time and would not be able to learn because they would be too distracted. While this is a good point, it’s not necessarily true. If students knew they would have time on their phones later, most of them would not be on it during the time they were not allowed to be. Of course there would be students who would take advantage of being able to have their phones, but if they do a write up or detention at that point it would be reasonable. [55]
U.S. state and territory policies on cell phone use in schools
The U.S. Department of Education has not implemented granular policies such as cell phone bans, but the department issued guidance for schools and districts to create policies in December 2024. The guidance centers three main ideas:
State policies range from statewide laws that all public school districts must follow to recommendations from the state that public schools have the choice to follow. These may take the following forms:
- Statewide restrictions: Legislation has been passed and signed into law that governs cell phone use in schools.
- Cell phone policy required: The state requires that each school district create a cell phone policy that works for the schools in the community. The state may release guidance or sample policies.
- Incentive-based state policy: The state gives the school districts that implement a cell phone policy something in return for doing so (for example, grant money or cell phone pouches). The state may release guidance or sample policies or require that the district adopt a state-written policy to comply with the program.
- Cell phone policy recommended: The state does not require that school districts implement a cell phone policy but encourages them to do so. The state may release guidance or sample policies.
Only states with cell phone policies are included below. The U.S. territories do not have widespread school cell phone-use regulations in place, although Puerto Rico was considering legislation as of October 2024. [57][58][59]
| state | instruction to school districts | policy |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The Alabama State board of Education approved a resolution that “strongly” encourages schools to enact cell phone restrictions on February 8, 2024. On February 4, 2025, Gov. Kay Ivey called for a legislative ban on cell phone use in schools. |
| Alaska | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The Alaska Board of Education and Early Development issued a draft model policy on January 22, 2025. School districts are encouraged to adopt a similar policy. |
| Arizona | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2484 on April 14, 2025. The law requires school districts to develop a policy that restricts student access to “wireless communication devices” but allows the use of the devices for educational purposes with permission of a teacher, during an emergency, and for medical purposes. Additionally, schools must include procedures for how a parent may contact their child during the school day and vice versa. |
| Arkansas | districts are incentivized by the state to adopt a policy | On July 2, 2024, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders launched a pilot program to incentivize schools to adopt phone policies. Schools that participated were provided with cell phone pouches or other locking mechanisms. On January 29, 2025, Huckabee Sanders announced the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act. The legislation was enacted as Act 122 on February 24, 2025. |
| California | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free Schools Act on September 23, 2024. The law requires that school districts create and implement cell phone policies by July 1, 2026. The law provides exceptions for emergencies, when school personnel grant permission, health requirements, and IEPs. |
| Connecticut | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The Connecticut State Board of Education released a position statement and policy guidance in August 2024. Gov. Ned Lamont and Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker urged school districts to adopt policies that are tailored for each age group and in line with the guidance. |
| Delaware | districts are incentivized by the state to adopt a policy | Gov. John Carney signed Senate Bill 326 on June 30, 2024. The law allocates $250,000 to fund a statewide pilot program to determine the impact of restricting cell phones in school, primarily through the distribution of cell phone pouches to schools. The state Department of Education was tasked with evaluating the pilot program and publishing a report by May 1, 2025. |
| Florida | statewide restriction | Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 379 on May 9, 2023. The law bans student cell phone and personal wireless device use bell-to-bell, unless use is permitted by a teacher. |
| Georgia | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 340 on May 9, 2025. The law requires school districts to create bell-to-bell cell phone ban policies for cell phones and other devices by July 1, 2026, for K–8 students. The policies must include storage instructions for the devices and clear instructions for off-campus activities. Additionally, schools must include procedures for how a parent may contact their child during the school day and vice versa. Exceptions are made for students with an IEP or medical condition. |
| Idaho | districts are incentivized by the state to adopt a policy | Gov. Brad Little issued the Phone Free Learning Act executive order on October 31, 2024. The order authorizes the State Board of Education to provide a onetime award of $5,000 to school districts that adopt cell phone policies in compliance with the Idaho Department of Education’s policy guidance. |
| Indiana | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 185 on March 11, 2024. The law requires school districts and charter schools to adopt a policy that restricts students from using “any portable wireless device” (including tablets and laptops) during instructional time unless for educational purposes with a teacher’s permission. Exceptions are provided for students with an IEP, 504, or other plan, in the event of an emergency, and to manage student health needs. |
| Iowa | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Kim Reynolds signed House Bill 782 on April 30, 2025. The law requires school districts to adopt a policy that restricts cell phone and other personal device use during instructional time. The policy must include how and where cell phones will be stored, how parents will be able to contact children, and the procedure for parents to petition for their children to keep their devices all day. Exceptions are made for students with an IEP or 504 plan. School districts are allowed to adopt more restrictive measures than the state has suggested. |
| Kansas | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | In December 2024 the Kansas State Board of Education recommended that districts adopt a bell-to-bell policy that requires cell phones and other personal electronic devices be secured during the entire school day. |
| Kentucky | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Andy Beshear signed House Bill 208 on March 26, 2025. The law requires school districts to adopt a policy that bans cell phone and other personal device use during instructional time, at a minimum, unless allowed by a teacher. District policies must address possession and use of personal devices during other times in the school day and at off-campus events. Exceptions are made for students whose device use is permitted by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Rehabilitation Act. |
| Louisiana | statewide restriction | Gov. Jeff Landry signed Act 313 on May 28, 2024. The law states that as of the 2024–25 school year students may not have cell phones or other “telecommunication” devices on their person during the school day. The devices must be “properly stowed away.” The act overrides more lenient district policies that may have allowed cell phone during lunch or recess periods. Exceptions are made for students with an IEP, 504, or other plan. |
| Minnesota | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Tim Walz signed Senate File 3567 on May 17, 2024, which requires school districts to adopt a cell phone possession and use policy by March 15, 2025. The law also directs the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals to report on best practices. |
| Nebraska | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Jim Pillen signed Legislative Bill 140 on May 20, 2025. The law requires school districts to create cell phone and electronic device policies by the start of the 2025–26 school year. The policies must ban the use of cell phones and devices by students on school property and at school-sponsored events. The district may allow cell phone use for instructional purposes. Exceptions are made for emergencies and for students with a medical condition, IEP, or 504 plan. |
| New Mexico | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 11 on April 10, 2025. The law requires the Public Education Department to issue guidelines for minimum requirements that school districts must adopt by August 1, 2025. Students will be banned from using cell phones during instructional time, unless permitted by a teacher. A student may use such a device for emergencies, health reasons, or accessibility purposes or if the student is allowed per an IEP. |
| New York | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | The Distraction-Free Schools initiative was included in the fiscal year 2026 state budget. Gov. Kathy Hochul championed the inclusion of a bell-to-bell ban on smartphones and smart devices. Students may have access to phones without Internet access. Exceptions are made for academic, translation, family care, medical, emergency, and accessibility purposes, as well as IEPs and 504 plans. |
| North Dakota | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed House Bill 1160 on April 25, 2025. The law requires school districts to ban cell phone use during instructional time with the option of developing a policy for cell phone use during noninstructional time during the school day. Exceptions are made for medical reasons or if the student is allowed per an IEP or 504 plan. |
| Ohio | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 250 on May 15, 2024. The law requires that each school district create a cell phone policy that limits use during the school day. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released a model policy on May 29, 2024. |
| Oklahoma | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on September 11, 2024, challenging school district superintendents to develop and implement cell phone policies by November 29, 2024. The governor’s office will then create a report on best practices to be released in early 2025. |
| Oregon | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The Oregon Department of Education issued nonbinding guidance for school districts to adopt cell phone restrictions. |
| Pennsylvania | districts are incentivized by the state to adopt a policy | Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 700 on July 11, 2024, which amends an existing state grant program to allow funds for schools to purchase cell phone bags if the district adopts a policy restricting cell phone use during the school day. |
| South Carolina | statewide restriction | The South Carolina legislature passed the General Appropriations Bill for 2024–25, H. 5100, which includes an “Anti-Bullying/School Safety” provision stating that school districts have to ban cell phones during the school day in order to receive state aid to classrooms. The South Carolina Department of Education subsequently released a “Free to Focus” policy that bans student use of cell phones and other personal devices during the school day. Phones and other devices must be stored in lockers or backpacks and may be accessed only for classroom instruction. Exceptions are made for students with an IEP, 504, or other educational plan. Students who are volunteer firefighters may ask for an exemption. |
| South Dakota | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The South Dakota House of Representatives issued House Concurrent Resolution 6005 on February 4, 2025 (concurred by the Senate on February 11, 2025). The nonbinding resolution “strongly encourages” school districts to ban cell phones and other devices during instructional time. |
| Tennessee | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 0932 on March 28, 2025. The law requires each school district to adopt a wireless device policy that bans use during instructional time except with teacher permission. Exceptions are made for emergencies, medical conditions, IEPs, and 504 plans. |
| Utah | statewide restriction | Gov. Spencer Cox signed Senate Bill 178 on March 25, 2025. The law bans cell phone and other device use during instructional time. Exceptions are made for emergencies, use of the SafeUT crisis line (which connects people in crisis to licensed counselors), medical needs, and students with an IEP or 504 plan. |
| Virginia | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 33 requiring that the state’s Department of Education release model phone-free policies by August 15, 2024, with a January 2025 deadline for schools to adopt a phone-free policy. The department issued sample policies for elementary students, middle school students, and high school students. |
| Washington | districts are encouraged to adopt a policy | The state recommended that districts create their own cell phone policies beginning with the 2025–26 school year. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) issued a memo recommending cell phone limits on August 28, 2024. Schools were encouraged to create policies limiting cell phone use by the start of the 2025–26 school year using the OSPI guidance. |
| West Virginia | districts are required to create and adopt a policy | Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed House Bill 2003 on April 29, 2025. The law requires county boards of education to develop and implement cell phone policies by the beginning of the 2025–26 school year. The policies must at least ban cell phones and other devices during instructional time. County boards may decide to ban cell phones from school property altogether. Exceptions are made for medical needs and students with an IEP or 504 plan. |
School cell phone policies around the world
According to a UNESCO report, almost one in four countries worldwide ban cell phones in schools, and bans are more common in Central and South Asian countries. Please note that the table below may not include all countries, territories, and dependencies with a national school cell phone policy. [16]
| jurisdiction | policy |
|---|---|
| Main source: UNESCO, “Global Education Monitoring Report: Themes, Technology” (accessed March 13, 2025), educationprofiles.org. | |
| All additional sources are noted in the policy column with footnote links. | |
| Albania | Students and teachers are banned from having cell phones during class. |
| Algeria | Cell phones are banned from schools. |
| Anguilla | Anguilla does not have a nationwide school cell phone policy but supports the development of policies by schools. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Students may have cell phones in schools if the devices are turned off and out of sight. |
| Argentina | Cell phone policies are established by each province. Misiones allows cell phone use as a pedagogical tool. Buenos Aires has a tiered policy that bans primary school students from using cell phones during class and recess and requires secondary students to keep phones stored away. Catamarca has a complete ban. |
| Australia | Tasmania enacted the first statewide school cell phone ban in 2019 followed by Victoria, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory in 2022. In 2023 South Australia and New South Wales followed suit. The policies vary but generally restrict cell phone use during instruction. The Australian Capital Territory bans cell phones in grades 11 and 12 as of 2024. [60] |
| Austria | Austria does not have a nationwide cell phone policy for schools but encourages individual schools and teachers to create policies at their discretion. |
| Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan does not have a nationwide cell phone policy for schools, but the minister of science and education has indicated that a national policy is a possibility. |
| Bahrain | Cell phones are banned during exams. |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh has banned students from using cell phones at school since 2011. Additionally, a 2010 study found that 75 percent of teachers in Bangladesh were using cell phones in the classroom, suspending instruction to have a phone conversation. As a result, teachers’ cell phone use in classrooms was also banned in 2011 by Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid. In 2017 the rules were expanded to ban cell phones in classrooms altogether (teachers must leave their phones in the teachers’ lounge). [61][62] |
| Barbados | Barbados had a school cell phone ban from 2009 through 2017. The ban was repealed, and a new ban has not been implemented. |
| Belarus | The Ministry of Education set regulations for cell phone use in class, indicating that the phones must be turned off and given to the teacher during class time except when being used for instruction (the country’s textbooks have QR codes to access more information). Students may use phones during breaks. [63] |
| Belgium | The government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (the federal governing body of the French-speaking residents of Brussels and Wallonia) implemented a ban for the 2025–26 school year that applies to students up to their sixth year. The German-speaking community banned cell phones in schools from September 2025. The Flemish community has no cell phone bans in schools. |
| Benin | Benin does not have a nationwide cell phone policy for schools, but most schools ban cell phones. |
| Bhutan | Bhutan bans cell phones in schools. |
| Bolivia | Pres. Evo Morales ordered the Ministry of Education to ban cell phones in schools. |
| Brunei | The Ministry of Education issued a directive banning students from bringing cell phones to school. |
| Bulgaria | Students are banned from using cell phones during class time. The education minister has proposed a pilot program to test full cell phone bans in schools. [67][68] |
| Burkina Faso | Cell phones are banned in secondary schools. |
| Cabo Verde | Cabo Verde does not have a nationwide cell phone policy for schools. Individual schools are encouraged to create their own policies. |
| Cambodia | Students are not allowed to use cell phones in classrooms or during study hours without permission from their teacher. [69][70] |
| Cameroon | Cell phones are banned in high schools and colleges. |
| Canada | Bans are implemented by province. Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan ban cell phones during class for all K–12 students. Ontario and Manitoba have tiered systems based on grade levels. New Brunswick schools require students to place phones in designated areas on silent. In Alberta and British Columbia the school districts create their own policies. Prince Edward Island allows educational use in classrooms if students sign a responsible-use agreement. [71] |
| Cayman Islands | Cell phones are banned in public schools. |
| Central African Republic | The Central African Republic does not have a nationwide cell phone policy for schools. The school principal has autonomy to set school policy. |
| Chad | Cell phones are banned in public, private, and community schools. |
| Chile | On March 13, 2024, the Ministry of Education recommended that children ages 6–12 use cell phones for educational purposes with clear rules and education about risky behaviors. The ministry recommended that kids and teens ages 12–18 continue the use of cell phones for educational purposes, with more autonomy built into the lessons. [72][73] |
| China | Children are not allowed to bring cell phones to school without written parental consent. [74] |
| Colombia | The Ministry of Education responded to individual school bans with the caution that schools and teachers be allowed to use cell phones in creative educational ways. [75] |
| Republic of the Congo | Individual schools manage student cell phone use in primary and secondary schools. |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Education provided regulations for cell phones in high schools. |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Cell phones are banned in schools. |
| Cyprus | Cell phone use is banned in all secondary schools. |
| Denmark | The Danish government refrained from implementing a nationwide policy in 2023, leaving cell phone policies to individual schools. |
| Djibouti | Schools are responsible for making their own cell phone policies. |
| Dominica | Cell phones are banned in schools. |
| Egypt | On February 21, 2023, the Ministry of Education issued an immediate ban on cell phone use during school hours. |
| England | The Department of Education released guidance supporting the ban of cell phones in schools by head teachers. Legislation will be considered to enforce a ban if schools do not voluntarily enforce the guidance. [64] |
| Eswatini | Cell phone use is banned in schools. |
| Fiji | Students may only bring a cell phone to school with approval from a head teacher or principal and written consent from a parent or guardian. |
| Finland | Teachers are allowed to ask students to put away cell phones in their pockets or bags. The Finnish National Agency for Education has proposed legislation to further curb cell phone in schools. [65] |
| France | In France the cell phone ban applies to all students through collège (about age 15, or ninth grade in the U.S.). Students are prohibited from using phones on their school campus or during school activities off-campus. They also are not allowed to connect any device to the Internet. Students in lycée (U.S. grades 10–12) are subject to their individual institutions’ policies. [66] |
| Gabon | The Ministry of National Education was preparing a ban in 2018, but no legislation resulted. |
| Germany | Germany issued a nonbinding recommendation to schools to limit cell phone use in August 2023. |
| Ghana | Cell phones are banned in senior high schools as well as in technical and vocational institutions. |
| Greece | Students are not allowed to use cell phones during school hours, and teachers may only use them for instructional purposes. [77] |
| Guinea | Cell phones are banned in schools and educational establishments. |
| Guyana | Cell phone use and possession are banned in schools during class time and assemblies. |
| Hungary | Students must give their cell phones to a designated staff member at the beginning of the school day and may retrieve their devices at the end of the day. [78] |
| India | Cell phone policies are established by state. Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh ban cell phones on school premises for students and teachers. Rajasthan banned teachers’ use of cell phones in schools. |
| Iran | Cell phones are banned in classrooms. |
| Iraq | Cell phones are banned in all schools. |
| Ireland | The Irish government strongly recommends that schools enact and enforce cell phone policies. |
| Israel | In 2016 the Ministry of Education banned cell phone use during instruction until further guidance was issued, and the following year teachers were banned from using cell phones during teaching hours. Cell phones were banned in elementary schools in 2019. [79][89] |
| Italy | A general cell phone ban was implemented in 2022, but exceptions were made for educational use. |
| Jamaica | Schools are responsible for making their own cell phone policies. |
| Japan | Schools are responsible for making their own cell phone policies. |
| Jordan | Cell phone use during classes is banned in schools. |
| Kazakhstan | Students are not allowed to use smartphones during school hours. |
| Kenya | Cell phone use in schools is banned, but a 2021 “Bring Your Own Device” policy is forcing an ongoing review of the policy. |
| Kuwait | Cell phones and smartwatches are banned in schools. |
| Kyrgyzstan | Cell phones may be used for educational purposes. |
| Latvia | Schools have until May 31, 2025, to implement cell phone bans for kids up to grade six with exceptions for educational use. |
| Lebanon | Lebanon’s National Educational Technology Strategic Plan stated, “To be mobile in a digital age means that students and teachers can keep their chosen devices with them at all times, and that the devices work wherever they happen to be.” |
| Luxembourg | The Ministry of Education banned cell phones from daycares and primary schools. Secondary schools are encouraged to adopt policies that ban cell phone use during instruction. |
| Mauritania | Cell phone use is banned in educational establishments. |
| Mauritius | Cell phone use is banned in primary and secondary schools during school hours and during exams. |
| Moldova | Cell phones are banned during instruction. |
| Mongolia | Cell phones are banned in schools. |
| Morocco | Cell phones are banned in classrooms. |
| Mozambique | Cell phones are banned in classrooms for both teachers and students. |
| Nepal | Cell phone use is banned in classrooms up to the plus-two level. |
| Netherlands | The Dutch government banned all devices in classrooms unless they are needed for instruction or medical reasons (including disabilities). [80] |
| New Zealand | Cell phones are banned in secondary school classrooms during school hours in all state schools and kuras (Māori schools). |
| Niger | Cell phone use is banned in classrooms. |
| Nigeria | Cell phones are regulated at the state level. Osun and Jigawa banned cell phone use in secondary schools. Delta banned cell phone use in primary and secondary schools. |
| Niue | Niue High School (one of only three grade schools on the island) banned student cell phones on school property. Students must leave their cell phones at home. |
| North Korea | Cell phone use is encouraged for educational purposes. |
| North Macedonia | There is no nationwide cell phone policy for schools, but primary schools require students to store phones in their lockers during instruction. |
| Oman | Cell phones are banned in schools except for specific educational use. |
| Pakistan | Cell phone policies are set at the provincial and local level. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government banned cell phone use during school hours. The Sindh government banned cell phone use in schools. |
| Palau | Cell phones are banned in classrooms except for educational uses. |
| Paraguay | Cell phones must be stowed away unless being used for an educational purpose. |
| Portugal | Portugal’s government has strongly recommended a ban for grades one through six, but the decision is ultimately up to the schools. [81] |
| Qatar | Cell phone use is banned during instruction. A complete ban is strongly recommended. |
| Russia | Russia took a multistep approach to banning cell phones during classroom instruction beginning in 2021, with the final ban going into effect on September 1, 2024. Students’ phones must be stored in designated areas in locking phone pouches. [82] |
| Rwanda | Students are not allowed to bring cell phones to school. [83] |
| Samoa | Cell phone use is banned in schools. |
| Saudi Arabia | A cell phone ban was imposed in 2017. The ban was lifted in September 2024 and replaced with regulations that require cell phones to be stowed away for the whole school day. |
| Scotland | The head teacher (the equivalent of a principal in the United States) is responsible for the cell phone policy in each school. The Scottish government issued guidance on cell phone bans but left final decisions to head teachers. |
| Seychelles | Cell phone use during school hours is banned. Teachers may not have cell phones in classrooms. |
| Sint Maarten | Cell phones are banned from classrooms. |
| Slovakia | Cell phone use is banned in grades one through nine. Cell phones must be given to teachers or stowed away in backpacks. |
| South Korea | South Korea does not have a nationwide school cell phone policy, but the country announced a policy on November 15, 2024, that allows teachers to confiscate cell phones if students are being disruptive. |
| Spain | Bans are decided by autonomous regions and cities. Madrid, Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Balearic Islands, and Extremadura all ban cell phones in schools. Ceuta, Melilla, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Aragón, and the Canary Islands have limited bans. Catalonia released guidance with a ban for kids under age 12. [84][85] |
| Sri Lanka | Student cell phones are banned from schools. Teachers may not use cell phones in the classroom. |
| Sweden | Sweden implemented a cell phone ban that requires students to relinquish their cell phones to school staff during the school day, including during breaks in instruction. [86] |
| Switzerland | Switzerland has no nationwide school cell phone ban. Head of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education Silvia Steiner believes that a nationwide ban is not needed, because schools have their own policies. However, a poll indicates that 82 percent of Swiss adults are in favor of banning cell phones in schools. [87][88] |
| Tajikistan | Cell phone use by students and teachers is banned in general, primary vocational, and secondary vocational education schools. Additionally, cell phones may not be used in the learning process by students, graduate students, doctoral students, teachers, or other employees of universities. |
| Tanzania | Cell phones are banned in schools, with exceptions for educational pilot projects. |
| Togo | The Ministry of Primary, Secondary Education and Vocational Training (now the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, Technical Education and Crafts) banned the use of cell phones in primary, secondary, and vocational schools. [76] |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Cell phone use is banned during instruction unless authorized by the teacher. Cell phones are not allowed in exam rooms. |
| Tunisia | Cell phone use is banned for primary school students during regular school days. Cell phone use is banned for middle and high school students during exams. In 2024 Tunisia expanded the ban to include possession of smartphones in all schools and educational institutes. |
| Turkey | Students are allowed to bring their cell phones to school but must give them to their teacher during instructional time. Teachers are also expected to limit use of their own cell phones during class. [71] |
| Turkmenistan | No nationwide cell phone policy for schools. However, all schools in Turkmenistan have banned the use of cell phones by students and teachers during instruction. |
| Uganda | Students are not allowed to bring cell phones to school. [72] |
| Ukraine | No nationwide cell phone policy for schools. The national Ministry of Education banned cell phone use in 2007. That order was rescinded in 2014. |
| United Arab Emirates | Cell phone use is banned during exams in public and private schools, adult education centers, and home study. Cell phones are banned from schools. |
| Uruguay | Cell phone use is banned during instruction. Teachers and students must turn off cell phones during classes. |
| Uzbekistan | Everyone (students, teachers, and staff alike) are required to silence cell phones on school grounds. Students may use cell phones (calls, texts, etc.) for urgent needs to contact parents, close relatives, or school employees. Students may use phones without restrictions during emergencies. |
| Vanuatu | There is no nationwide cell phone policy for schools, but the Ministry of Education and Training proposed a ban in 2023. |
| Vietnam | Cell phone use is banned in classrooms except for educational purposes. |
Discussion Questions
- Should cellphones be banned in schools? Why or why not?
- If phones are allowed in schools, what rules should be put in place to ensure that students are safe and learning? Explain your answers.
- Should other technology be allowed or banned in schools? Consider smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, tablets, computers, and more.
Take Action
- Poll your classmates, school staff, family, and friends outside of school about banning cell phones in schools. Use Pew Research as an example for your poll and analyze the results.
- Analyze which states have school cell phone policies. Do these states have anything in common? Why do you think these states in particular have adopted statewide policies?
- Write an opinion letter to your local newspaper arguing for the cell phone policy you think best. Use this letter from a science teacher and this letter from a high school student as examples.
- Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
- Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. national senators and representatives.
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- Mi Gijón Editorial Staff, “Madrid, Galicia, and La Mancha Are the Only Regions That Prohibit the Use of Cell Phones in Schools.” (December 11, 2023), migijon.com
- Sara Gonzalez and Helena López, “The Government Announces a Regulatory Framework for Mobile Phone Use in Schools Within ‘a Few Months’ ” (November 8, 2024), elperiodico.com
- The Nordic Times Editorial Staff, “Cell Phones to Be Banned in Swedish Schools” (December 12, 2023), nordictimes.com
- SWI swissinfo.ch, “Survey: 82% of Swiss Want to Ban Mobile Phones in Schools” (December 16, 2024), swissinfo.ch
- SWI swissinfo.ch, “Top Swiss Education Official Not a Fan of Phones in Schools” (September 25, 2024), swissinfo.ch
- Israeli Ministry of Education, “Students’ Use of End Devices for Learning Purposes” (September 1, 2016), cms.education.gov