School Bell-to-bell phone bans are trending up.
As the 2025-26 school year looms, a growing number of US states and school districts have implemented, or are planning, a comprehensive ban on student cellphone use during the (public) school day.
New York state, with the largest school system, has recently enacted a state-wide ban requiring all K-12 public and charter schools to prohibit unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet connected personal devices from the start to the end of the school days, including lunch and study hall periods. Schools are required to provide storage facilities like pouches or lockers.
NY state follows a trend started by Florida in May 2023: “A student may not use a wireless communications device during instructional time, except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes.”
California, in September 2024, instructed every school district, charter school, and county office of education to develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones during school hours.
As of August 2025, twenty-six US states and Washington, DC, have enacted laws or policies requiring local school districts to ban or limit student cell phone use in K-12 classrooms, with twenty-two of these laws passed in 2025 alone.
Of the remaining states, most have laws in the planning stage or have issued recommendations. The only two states without any statewide policies on cell phone use in K-12 schools are Mississippi and Wyoming.
Colorado is taking a unique approach, offering $50,000 to school districts that establish policies restricting cell phone usage in classrooms.
What’s wrong with cell phone use at school?
Aside from the primary concern of cell phones being a significant distraction from learning, in June 2025, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms regarding their effects on young people.
Not surprisingly, all of these decisions have been met with mixed opinions.
Parents have criticized the decision, noting they want to be able to communicate with their children during school hours, particularly in today’s threat landscape.
“What if Sally or Johnny doesn’t have their phone if, God forbid, an active shooting happens or there is some sort of crisis in the building?”
With a nod to Type1 Diabetes, lawmakers and schools are urged to take into consideration students who may need a device for medical reasons.
Others point to the ingenuity of students and point for example to the easy availability of burner phones. That in turn may lead to searching students upon school entry, which opens up another can of worms.
“Why is the government dictating how my child is raised. Isn’t that my prerogative?” is often heard.
“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.” says an educator concerned about the effect on, in particular, school districts with limited resources.
Teachers are supportive
A Prodigy survey found that nearly three in four teachers are in support of a ban on cell phones, although 46% said implementing screen time restrictions during the school day is a better approach than banning them altogether.
“It’s quite a nuanced discussion because not all children struggle with phone use,” says one school nurse. “But for those who do, we certainly are seeing positive impacts on mental health.”
Will banning use of social media altogether for children under 16 years be next?
The K-12 education system in the US typically spans from kindergarten through 12th grade, covering students from age five or six up to age 18.