More states consider ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone bans for kindergarten-12th grade students

More states are moving toward “bell-to-bell” bans on student cellphones in K-12 schools, citing evidence of reduced distraction and improved academic performance.

The District of Columbia and 38 states have enacted laws rolling back student phone access over the past three years to curb a surge in screen addiction and related behavior problems. Students in 19 states and the District are now required to store them “away all day” in a pouch or locker.

Lawmakers in states such as Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Massachusetts are considering stronger legislation as child safety experts endorse stricter policies.

“We have learned that the most successful policies include a complete bell-to-bell ban with phones locked away in pouches,” said Allison Bonacci, director of education for Cyber Safety Consulting, which works with schools to develop technology policies.

Support for expanding the bans has grown on both sides of the political aisle over the past year.

A Republican-sponsored bill pending in Georgia would extend the state’s bell-to-bell ban from K-8 students to high schools.

In Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers are seeking to stretch their state’s K-12 cellphone ban to cover the entire school day. A bipartisan bill to do the same in Pennsylvania has received support from Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Democrats in Massachusetts are pushing for even tougher policies. They have advanced legislation that would ban tablets, smartphones and Bluetooth devices at all K-12 campuses starting this fall.

“The general consensus is that students are more engaged in class, distractions are down, and social interaction has shifted back toward in-person peer relationships instead of life online,” said Scott Kollins, a developmental psychologist and chief medical officer at Aura, a Boston-based app for parents monitoring children’s digital activity.

Other states, including Kansas, are considering bills that would ban phones during K-12 instructional time this fall, replacing policies that allowed local districts to decide the matter.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is expected to sign an instructional time ban that received near-unanimous support in the state Legislature, overcoming parental safety concerns.

Margaret Murray, a University of Michigan-Dearborn professor who studies the issue, said she expects bell-to-bell bans to become “the gold standard” as schools see the results.

“The states that have bell-to-bell bans will see improvements in test scores, attendance, and behavior,” Ms. Murray said in an email. “The states that don’t will fall further behind.”

Parents opposed to daylong bans have voiced concerns about enforcement, personal freedom and parental access to children.

“In some communities, cellphones are a lifeline to home, especially for kids who may be responsible for other siblings, or who need to get in contact with parents who work,” said Alanna Powers-O’Brien, a researcher at the Family Online Safety Institute in the District of Columbia, where public school officials banned all devices this fall.

Sheri Few, president and founder of the conservative United States Parents Involved in Education, said student cellphones also provide “a vital check on classroom content and teacher delivery” for political bias.

“Without the ability to record, parents lose visibility into how controversial topics are taught,” Ms. Few said.

A 2024 Pew Research Center survey showed that 67% of adults supported banning smartphones during class time, but only 36% favored bell-to-bell bans.

No research has compared the academic outcomes of the two policies.

“We need more data on the implementation and impact of different policies before we can say for certain if bell-to-bell cellphone bans are preferred,” said Kate Blocker, research and programs director of the nonprofit research network Children and Screens. “Anecdotal reports note that students often find ways around restrictions — for instance, by damaging storage pouches or using secondary devices.”

Teachers counter that bell-to-bell restrictions have dramatically reduced FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” among students who previously craved social media usage between classes.

They say schools locking away phones for the day have experienced less cyberbullying, mindless scrolling and covert filming of teachers around campus.

In Maryland, which has not imposed statewide restrictions, the Howard County Public School System implemented a bell-to-bell “no personal technology” policy last spring for all 57,000 students at its K-12 campuses.

“While the initial adjustment presented challenges, the positive impact on school culture, academic focus, and peer interaction has been undeniable,” said Adri Westlake, a middle school math teacher in the district.

‘Common sense’

Florida enacted the first statewide restrictions in 2023, with a law banning student phones during class time in all K-12 schools.

A working paper published in October by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Florida students experienced a 12% increase in disciplinary incidents and in-school suspensions during the ensuing year.

Those numbers cooled to earlier levels in the second year, as the study noted “significant positive effects” on standardized test scores.

Some researchers insist that even stronger academic turnarounds will become apparent in states that have imposed bell-to-bell bans.

“I think what we are learning is that students can do just fine without cellphones,” said Tyrone Howard, a UCLA education professor specializing in racial equity.

Psychologist Matthew Mulvaney, a parenting researcher at Syracuse University, said the fact that some students circumvent the bell-to-bell ban that New York enacted in August does not mean it should be abolished.

“It is so clearly evident that it is helping the kids to learn better and teachers to teach more effectively,” Mr. Mulvaney said. “By the standards of social science, we haven’t reached a point where we can declaratively say that the phone bans are working, but the power of observation and common sense are clear.”

California, the nation’s largest state, has directed all school districts to adopt customized cellphone restrictions by July 1, with exceptions for emergencies.

Chula Vista Elementary School District, which serves more than 22,000 students in grades K-6 near the California-Mexico border, has opted to ban student phones in all nonemergency cases.

“Bell-to-bell is the only method to fully protect the learning environment,” said Hezekiah Herrera, a teachers union leader at Chula Vista. “A student needs to have deep, prolonged attention to move information from working memory to long-term storage.”

Brandon T. McDaniel, a senior research scientist at Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said states should move slowly.

Indiana has forbidden student cellphones during classes since 2024, but state lawmakers are now considering a full “away for the day” ban.

“Like most interventions, simply banning or removing something is often not sufficient to produce the best effects,” Mr. McDaniel said. “There will come a time when teens must learn how to manage living in a world where they must both be able to focus and simultaneously manage their own digital distractions.”