Can I Call You Later, Mom?

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued a crucial report concerning the dangers of cigarette smoking, calling the matter a “national concern.” Many considered Terry’s warning a pivotal moment that helped turn the public’s and policymakers’ attention toward recognizing and addressing the negative health impacts of smoking.

While smoking remains a public health issue, great strides have been made in answering Terry’s call. In 2005, approximately 21 percent of adults smoked on a regular basis, but by 2021, that number was 11.5 percent, according to The New York Times.

In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory asking the public and policymakers to tend to another threat to public health: youth social media overuse. Murthy warned of evidence documenting the harmful mental effects of social media on children, including depression, anxiety, and loneliness, urging collective action to address the problem.

Several states answered the call, and some were already addressing the issue by passing legislation intended to control and manage the use of cellular phones and personal electronic devices in schools. For instance, Ohio requires school districts to create policies that “minimize” use of student phones. Similarly, local districts have moved to regulate phone use.

How do these bans or regulations impact your school? Does your state have a law? If not, what can you do to limit cellphone use, and should you? What sorts of obstacles might you face? How can you address them, and what resources exist to help you? Here is some guidance on these questions.

Why Policymakers Are Limiting Use

Let’s start by outlining some of the underlying reasons policymakers, parents, educators, and others are calling for more guardrails around device use in schools. While every situation is different, there are compelling reasons to limit or ban cellphone use by students.

To start, many educators consider phones the ultimate distraction to learning. Additionally, social media—again, accessed via phone—is especially treacherous ground. Teachers, administrators, and health professionals identify social media as a major contributor to mental health issues, toxic school issues such as bullying, and declines in attention span.

Some contend that cellphones represent an opportunity and should be included in the learning environment, rather than excluded from it. And others suggest that students need access to their phones for safety reasons. But 90 percent of educators support the prohibition of cellphones and personal devices during instructional time, according to a survey conducted by the National Education Association.

State Laws on Cellphone Use in Schools

While the trend isn’t sweeping the nation, more states adopted cellphone restrictions in 2024 than in previous years. Broadly speaking, states follow one of three strategies: (1) encouraging school districts to adopt policies restricting cellphone use; (2) mandating school districts to adopt polices restricting cellphone use; or (3) banning cellphone use during class, instruction, or school hours. There is no clear best practice.

States that encourage districts to adopt restrictions sometimes include monetary incentives. For example, Arkansas launched a program offering money for districts to purchase secure storage pouches for devices, and it plans a yearlong evaluation of the program and its effectiveness. Pennsylvania will give districts money for lockable storage bags, but only if they adopt a policy banning cellphone use during school hours.

Others, like Alabama and Washington, are issuing briefs and adopting resolutions encouraging school districts to develop and implement their own policies. Oklahoma is inviting shareholders to propose strategies.

Many states mandate that districts adopt policies restricting cellphone use during instructional time. These mandates require the policies to include exceptions such as individualized instruction, medical need, and the discretion of the classroom teacher. Not all mandates compel the state education agency to develop and publish model policies.

Florida led the way in banning cellphone use in schools, and it is not alone—Louisiana and South Carolina require students to power off and store their devices during the school day. Florida also requires school districts to prevent students from accessing social media via the school’s internet and educate students on the harmful effects of social media.

District-Level Policy Development

In many states, the matter is left to local discretion. California’s Phone-Free Schools Act, for example, requires schools to use a collaborative process in developing and implementing policies restricting cellphone use during school hours. Districts must invite stakeholders including students, parents, and educators to participate—a practice that encourages buy-in and compliance while providing an opportunity to educate stakeholders about the issue.

Consider how students use their devices during the school day. Once you have a list, make decisions about which tools need to remain available and provide an alternative. For example, parents might feel the need to reach students during the school day. What alternative mode of communication could you provide? Similarly, students use cellphones for research and math calculations. Are computers available to do that research instead? Do students know their multiplication tables?

Resources and Recommendations

There are plenty of resources available to help plan an appropriate response for your school community. Here are a few you might find helpful in thinking through an approach:

1. The Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory. This release provides an excellent outline of the existing evidence on social media’s effects for a variety of stakeholders.
2. The Phone-Free Schools Movement. This group believes that electronic devices should be prohibited from first bell to last, and it offers a tool kit administrators can use to achieve that result.
3. State-level school associations. Teachers, parents, unions, and student groups recognize that the there is a need to understand the benefits and pitfalls of technology, including the use of cellphones. Also, look for guidance from groups such as local principal associations, unions, and school board associations.
4. Stakeholder input. For those contemplating limits to in-school cellphone use, remember that you will need—ironically—an open line of communication. Most parents are now accustomed to instant communication with their children through phones; disruption to that might face pushback. Hold open forums with parents and students, accept feedback, and make well-reasoned recommendations with the goal of providing an optimal learning environment, and chances are your community will adjust to any changes in cellphone policy.

Mark Paige is chair of the Department of Public Policy and professor of Education Law and Policy at University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth.

Sarah Flourney is a partner at the law firm of Brackett & Ellis in Fort Worth, Texas. She works with public and private K–12 educational entities on a range of legal issues.