At least eight states have enacted measures over the past two years to restrict or ban student cellphone use in schools.
A growing number of states are implementing or considering bans on cellphone use in schools, with support coming from both sides of the political aisle.
At least eight states have enacted measures to restrict or prohibit student cellphone use in schools over the past two years, according to education officials.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, have both vocally supported cellphone bans in schools despite their ideological differences.
“Teachers know (cellphones are) a huge distraction, but much bigger than that is that it is impacting the mental health of so many of our students,” Sanders told reporters on Thursday.
Earlier this summer Newsom sent letters to school districts in California, urging they restrict students cellphone use during school hours, a move he said would help them better focus on their education.
“Working together, educators, administrators, and parents can create an environment where students are fully engaged in their education, free from the distractions on the phones and pressures of social media,” he wrote.
The push for these bans stems from worries about the impact of excessive screen time on children’s mental health and complaints from educators about constant classroom disruptions.
Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, said the issue resonates across communities.
“It doesn’t matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day,” she said.
States that have implemented bans or restrictions include California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia. The policies vary widely in terms of levels of restrictions and their approach.
Florida led the charge in 2023 with a law mandating all public schools to ban cellphone use during class time and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi. California followed suit in 2024, requiring its nearly 1,000 school districts to develop their own cellphone policies by July 2026.
Other states have taken different approaches. Some have encouraged districts to create their own restrictions or provided funding to create storage for students’ cellphones during school hours.
In Arkansas, Sanders launched a pilot program last year offering grants to schools adopting phone-free policies. Over 100 school districts participated. Now, Sanders aims to require all districts to ban cellphones during the school day, with the specifics of how such restriction is implemented left to individual districts.
Despite growing support, cellphone restrictions face opposition from some parents concerned about being able to speak to their children during emergencies.
Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, cautioned against overly broad approaches.
“We have not done our job as grown-ups to try to teach our kids the skills they need to actually navigate this technology,” she said. “We’ve just kicked the can down the road and thrown them into the deep end of the pool when they’re by themselves after school.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News