Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones

By Natasha Singer - Aug. 11, 2024

Natasha Singer covers technology in schools. She welcomes reader tips at nytimes.com/tips

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Cellphones have become a school scourge. More than 70 percent of high school teachers say student phone distraction is a “major problem,” according to a survey this year by Pew Research.

That’s why states are mounting a bipartisan effort to crack down on rampant student cellphone use. So far this year, at least eight states have passed laws, issued orders or adopted rules to curb phone use among students during school hours.

The issue isn’t simply that some children and teenagers compulsively use apps like Snap, TikTok and Instagram during lessons, distracting themselves and their classmates. In many schools, students have also used their phones to bully, sexually exploit and share videos of physical attacks on their peers.

But cellphone restrictions can be difficult for teachers to enforce without schoolwide rules requiring students to place their phones in lockers or other locations.

Now state lawmakers, along with some prominent governors, are pushing for more uniform restrictions in public schools.

With the new school year already underway this month in some states, those new rules are kicking in. Here’s what to know.

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Why are schools cracking down on smartphones?

Students are often subject to cyberbullying and bombarded with text messages and social media notifications during school. Studies have shown that mobile phones, text messages and even “nomophobia” — the fear of not having access to one’s phone — can distract students and impair learning. States hope that cracking down on phone use in the classroom will reduce learning distractions as well as tech misuse by students.

Some independent schools are also banning phones. Last week, the head of Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., wrote in The Atlantic that it was “time to remove phones from schools.”

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Do school phone bans work?

Teachers say that phone bans in the classroom have helped improve students’ ability to concentrate on their lessons and work in groups. Some schools have also found the bans decreased phone-related bullying and student fights.

Even so, the bans could have limited effect on the larger problem of technology in the classroom.

Some students use school-issued laptops or tablets in their classes for much of the school day, with diversions like YouTube or video games one click away. Studies have found that laptop use in the classroom can have a distracting, negative impact on student learning.

Students have also used school devices to bully their peers. Bark, a risk-monitoring service that scans students’ school-administered Google and Microsoft accounts, said in July that it had documented more than 8.5 million cases of school cyberbullying on Google Docs since 2019 — and more than half a million cyberbullying cases involving students on Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft said Teams offered a wide range of controls that schools could use to supervise or block student chats.

Google said that its education products had tools for students to report bullying to their schools and that settings in its education software and school-issued Chromebook laptops enabled schools to block certain websites and apps.

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Do school phone bans work?

Teachers say that phone bans in the classroom have helped improve students’ ability to concentrate on their lessons and work in groups. Some schools have also found the bans decreased phone-related bullying and student fights.

Even so, the bans could have limited effect on the larger problem of technology in the classroom.

Some students use school-issued laptops or tablets in their classes for much of the school day, with diversions like YouTube or video games one click away. Studies have found that laptop use in the classroom can have a distracting, negative impact on student learning.

Students have also used school devices to bully their peers. Bark, a risk-monitoring service that scans students’ school-administered Google and Microsoft accounts, said in July that it had documented more than 8.5 million cases of school cyberbullying on Google Docs since 2019 — and more than half a million cyberbullying cases involving students on Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft said Teams offered a wide range of controls that schools could use to supervise or block student chats.

Google said that its education products had tools for students to report bullying to their schools and that settings in its education software and school-issued Chromebook laptops enabled schools to block certain websites and apps.‍

Pennsylvania recently allotted millions of dollars in grants for schools to purchase lockable bags to store pupils’ phones while Delaware recently allocated $250,000 for schools to test lockable phone pouches.

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order last month directing state agencies to develop “cellphone-free” education policies and procedures for schools to adopt by the start of next year. New laws in Minnesota and Ohio will require schools to adopt policies to limit cellphone use next year.

This summer, on separate occasions, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, each said they would work with state lawmakers on legislation to tackle student phone use in schools.

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How are schools enforcing the new state bans?

Some schools are now racing to alert families about the new cellphones rules and put them into effect.

Among them is Sabine Parish, a small district in Western Louisiana, which posted an online notice last week warning students and parents that “all cellphones and smart watches must be stowed in lockers or powered off” during class time.

To comply with the new Indiana law, Franklin Township Community School Corporation, a small district in Indianapolis, recently adopted new rules barring students from using personal cellphones, laptops or video game consoles during class.

Many schools now require students to leave their cellphones in shoe-rack-like holders during class — or place them in their lockers or in lockable bags during the school day. Other districts confiscate cellphones from students caught violating the rules and lock the devices in specialized “phone jail” cabinets for the rest of the school day.

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How do students and parents feel about the bans?

Many parents used to freely texting or calling their children object to blanket cellphone bans.

Although 70 percent of parents agree that cellphone use among students should be “banned during class,” more than half think students should be allowed to use their phones “sometimes,” such as during lunch or recess, according to a survey this year by the National Parents Union.

Some students also object to bans on a device they rely on to take notes in school, photograph class assignments like art work or make plans to meet their friends during lunch. Critics have said cellphone bans could also disproportionately harm students with adult responsibilities, such as after-school jobs or taking care of ill relatives.