Kicking Phones Out of Class

Lunchtime at Dobbs Ferry Middle School is a little louder these days. New York, where the school is located, banned cell phones in schools last year. Ever since, students there are spending less time staring at screens and more time chatting with each other.

Eighth-grader Mark Roshak, for one, connects with friends in the cafeteria instead of scrolling. “I am talking to people more in school because I don’t have that distraction,” he says.

Mark’s school is one of thousands around the country where students are banned from texting and making calls on campus. Over the past three years, 36 states and Washington, D.C., have restricted or limited students from using cell phones during the school day (see map, below).

Lunchtime at Dobbs Ferry Middle School is a little louder these days. The school is located in New York. Cell phones were banned in schools there last year. Ever since, students there are spending less time staring at screens. And they are spending more time chatting with each other. 

Mark Roshak is an eighth-grader at the school. He connects with friends in the cafeteria instead of scrolling. “I am talking to people more in school because I don’t have that distraction,” he says.

Mark’s school is one of thousands around the country where students are banned from texting and making calls on campus. Over the past three years, 36 states and Washington, D.C., have restricted or limited students from using cell phones during the school day (see map, below).

Other states may soon do the same. As Junior Scholastic went to press, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were considering bans of their own. So it might no longer be a question of will all schools restrict phones, but when.

The goals of many of the policies include reducing distractions in class, improving learning, and decreasing bullying. But are the bans really making the school day better?

Other states may soon do the same. As Junior Scholastic went to press, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were considering bans of their own. So it might no longer be a question of will all schools restrict phones, but when.

Many of the policies have goals such as reducing distractions in class and improving learning. They also aim to decrease bullying. But are the bans really making the school day better?

Buzz . . . Buzz . . . Buzz . . . Notifications can be hard to ignore, even during class. Students in schools without a phone ban spend an average of 1.5 hours on their phone during the school day, according to a report in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. 

Florida became the first state to pass a law restricting cell phone use during school hours, in May 2023. A year later, the U.S. Department of Education urged school districts across the nation to also set limits. The government agency pointed to concerns about phones’ negative effects on students’ attention span, academic performance, and mental health.

Over the next two years, other states rushed to limit or ban phone use. Many schools implemented bell-to-bell bans. Those require students to keep their phones turned off and put away from the morning bell until the final bell. 

At some schools, phones must be stored in backpacks or in lockers all day. Others go even further. Students place their phones in locked pouches and can’t access them until the end of the school day, when the pouches can be unsealed at designated stations.

Buzz . . . Buzz . . . Buzz . . . Notifications can be hard to ignore, even during class. Students in schools without a phone ban spend an average of 1.5 hours on their phone during the school day. That is according to a report in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Florida became the first state to pass a law restricting cell phone use during school hours. That was in May 2023. A year later, the U.S. Department of Education urged school districts across the nation to also set limits. The government agency pointed to concerns about phones’ negative effects on students’ attention span, academic performance, and mental health.

Over the next two years, other states rushed to limit or ban phone use. Many schools implemented bell-to-bell bans. Those require students to keep their phones turned off and put away from the morning bell until the final bell.

At some schools, phones must be stored in backpacks or in lockers all day. Others go even further. Students place their phones in locked pouches. They cannot access them until the end of the school day. Then the pouches can be unsealed at designated stations.

Researchers have found that bans have been successful in reducing students’ phone time during class. A nationwide study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) tracked more than 40,000 schools from 2019 to 2026. It found that student phone use for personal reasons at schools with bell-to-bell bans dropped from 61 percent to 13 percent, based on teacher reports.

The reduced screen time has also changed how students interact with each other, says Jory Higgins, a middle school principal in Wilton, Connecticut. At his school, teens must turn their phones off and put them in their lockers as soon as they enter the building. “Students are talking, really talking,” he says. “They are making eye contact, laughing together, navigating friendships, and building social skills in real time.”

Delaney Cook, an eighth-grader from Orland Park, Illinois, has noticed the same effect at her school. The rule there is that phones must be off and placed in a locker or a numbered pocket at the front of the classroom. Delaney has been connecting more with other students because of it. “Most of my socializing is online, but I do get to know people in person too,” she shares.

At some schools, the policies have also cut down on bad behavior. In a survey by the research group RAND, nearly two-thirds of principals reported fewer incidents of students using cell phones inappropriately, such as taking photos in locker rooms or recording fights, when the devices were restricted.

Mackenzie Dobson, a ninth-grader from Wilton, saw this firsthand when her middle school’s ban took effect. “It reduces some bullying during the school day since people can’t record or post things right away about people,” she notes.

Researchers have found that bans have been successful in reducing students’ phone time during class. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ran a nationwide study from 2019 to 2026. The study tracked more than 40,000 schools. It found that student phone use for personal reasons at schools with bell-to-bell bans dropped from 61 percent to 13 percent. That is based on teacher reports.

The reduced screen time has also changed how students interact with each other, says Jory Higgins. He is a middle school principal in Wilton, Connecticut. At his school, teens must turn their phones off and put them in their lockers as soon as they enter the building. “Students are talking, really talking,” he says. “They are making eye contact, laughing together, navigating friendships, and building social skills in real time.”

Delaney Cook is an eighth-grader from Orland Park, Illinois. She has noticed the same effect at her school. The rule there is that phones must be off. They also must be placed in a locker or a numbered pocket at the front of the classroom. Delaney has been connecting more with other students because of the rule. “Most of my socializing is online, but I do get to know people in person too,” she shares.

At some schools, the policies have also cut down on bad behavior. The research group RAND did a survey. Nearly two-thirds of principals reported that when the devices were restricted, students were less likely to use cell phones inappropriately. For example, there were fewer instances of students taking photos in locker rooms or recording fights.

Mackenzie Dobson is a ninth-grader from Wilton. She saw this firsthand when her middle school’s ban took effect. “It reduces some bullying during the school day since people can’t record or post things right away about people,” she notes.

Despite the improvements, some people point out that the phone policies aren’t achieving one of their intended goals—to help students do better in school. The NBER study found “close to zero” changes on standardized test scores three years into some bans.

Not surprisingly, bell-to-bell bans also aren’t popular with most students. Nearly half of teens say it’s easier to do well in school when they have access to a phone, the Pew Research Center found.

Mackenzie’s twin brother, Carter Dobson, says the rules can make it difficult for teachers to allow for exceptions when using a smartphone might be beneficial. For example, some projects in his art class last year required taking and accessing photographs. With phones banned on campus, students had to use school devices that had poorer camera quality, Carter explains.

Other students are concerned about safety and being able to communicate with their families in case of an emergency. More than 80 percent of kids think parents should be able to reach their child when needed, according to the RAND survey.

Delaney, for one, worries what she would do if something bad were to happen while she was at school and she couldn’t call for help or text her family to let them know she was OK. “I just get so nervous,” she says.

There have been improvements. But some people point out that the phone policies have not helped students do better in school. That was one of the goals. The NBER study found “close to zero” changes on standardized test scores three years into some bans.

Not surprisingly, bell-to-bell bans also are not popular with most students. Nearly half of teens say it is easier to do well in school when they have access to a phone. That is according to the Pew Research Center.

Carter Dobson is Mackenzie’s twin brother. He says the rules can make it difficult for teachers to allow for exceptions when using a smartphone might help. For example, some projects in his art class last year required taking and accessing photographs. But phones were banned on campus. So students had to use school devices that had poorer camera quality, Carter explains.

Other students are concerned about safety and being able to communicate with their families in case of an emergency. More than 80 percent of kids think parents should be able to reach their child when needed. That is according to the RAND survey. 

Delaney, for one, worries about not having her phone if something bad were to happen while she was at school. She would not be able to call for help or text her family to let them know she was OK. “I just get so nervous,” she says.

Even with cell phone bans, some students still find ways to check their phones during the school day—especially when the devices are stored in backpacks or lockers. “Kids get around the rules by going in the bathroom and looking at their phones,” Mark, the student from Dobbs Ferry, reveals.

Other students get distracted by laptops and other classroom technology, says Kim DeVries, a middle school teacher in Orland Park. “Even though phones are removed . . . students revert to using their school-issued iPads, which are basically a big phone! So there is still room for improvement,” she says.

Some students and educators argue that instead of banning phones, schools should focus on teaching students how and when to use them responsibly.

“Not everything we do on phones is goofing off or not doing what we’re supposed to,” Delaney says. “It feels like they are taking away our ability to learn responsibility.”

Carter agrees. “School’s goal is to set us up for life,” he argues. “Whether we like it or not, phones will likely be here to stay.”

Even with cell phone bans, some students still find ways to check their phones during the school day. That is especially true when the devices are stored in backpacks or lockers. “Kids get around the rules by going in the bathroom and looking at their phones,” Mark reveals. He is the student from Dobbs Ferry.

Other students get distracted by laptops and other classroom technology, says Kim DeVries. She is a middle school teacher in Orland Park. “Even though phones are removed . . . students revert to using their school-issued iPads, which are basically a big phone! So there is still room for improvement,” she says.

Some students and educators argue that schools should not ban phones. Instead, they should focus on teaching students how and when to use them responsibly.

“Not everything we do on phones is goofing off or not doing what we’re supposed to,” Delaney says. “It feels like they are taking away our ability to learn responsibility.”

Carter agrees. “School’s goal is to set us up for life,” he argues. “Whether we like it or not, phones will likely be here to stay.”