Cell Phones in Schools: A look at bans and how to navigate them

As students returned to school this fall, many returned to new rules regulating the use of personal technology in the classroom. Over the summer many states, school boards, and districts voted to implement new bans on the use of phones, smartwatches, tablets, and in some cases headphones in the classroom. For each, the new rules look slightly different, and how phones are managed can vary from school to school, and classroom to classroom.

Over the past decade, as phones have become common in the classroom, concerns have been raised around their impact on increasing rates of bullying, depression and anxiety, social isolation, and lack of attention leading to poor learning outcomes. Returning to the classroom after lengthy periods of remote schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic, students were more withdrawn and phone-focused than ever, leading to the US surgeon general publishing an advisory on the use of social media and more broadly, phones.

While bans have the majority support of educators, politicians, and school administrators, the opinions of parents and students are more divided.

Outlined below are leading arguments both for and against the implementation of phone bans in schools. 

Benefits of Implementing Phone Bans 

• In a 2022 study covering two regions of Spain, researchers showed that banning phones in schools can lead to a 10-18% decrease in instances of bullying. 
• A 2016 study on technology and distractions in British schools illustrates how banning phones in the classroom can lead to better attention during class, leading to an overall 6.4% increase in test scores.
• A 2022 study published in the National Library of Medicine “highlights a significant association between excess use of cell phones on physical and mental health wellbeing.” 

Concerns with Banning Phones in the Classroom

• Some hold the view that students need to learn how to manage their phone use while in class and that banning phones is not giving students the opportunity to fail and learn before entering the workforce where they will need to moderate their phone use on their own.
• Parents against cell phone bans are concerned that they won’t be able to get in contact with their children in the event of an emergency. Others say that they communicate with their children throughout the day to provide mental health support to their children.
• Opinion pieces have articulated that the available research on phone bans is relatively new, and the studies are small, arguing that we need larger studies before we can conclude that the bans are effective.
• Finally, many argue that although bans may be effective, students are smart, and will find ways to get around these regulations negating any potentially positive effects a ban could have.  

Although there is often resistance to phone bans initially at the time of implementation, parents and students are both often quoted acknowledging the benefits of the ban weeks to months later. 

"I'm finding that at recess the kids are being kids again. They're playing tag, they're talking to one another, they're playing volleyball, basketball. It is definitely a big change, but I think it's a positive change.” -Camille Sanderson, Grade 7 teacher, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba

“I understand the intentions of the ban… I definitely think phones can be addicting or distracting. It can be really easy to just hyper-analyze what you are putting out on social media. People — I — fall into that trap really easily. They start to base their self-worth on how many likes they get on their stories, how much their friends are commenting, things that aren’t that consequential.” - William Schnider, Student, Los Angeles, CA

There are currently only 4 states with official bans on phones in the classroom. However, districts, schools, and school boards across the nation have put into place their own bans. At this time, regardless of a state ban, studies show that between 70 and 80% of schools nationwide have their own phone bans in place. See our listing of known cell phone bans in the United States and Canada.

“But I would say the intent for me feels right,” she said, “as long as we’re not limiting kids who use phones for educational purposes because of disabilities.” – Carissa, parent, Edmonton, AB

“I think that if you were to ask a group of us if it was hindering or helping learning, it’s more hindering. It’s a distraction more than a tool.” - Melissa Abela, Highschool Teacher, Windsor, ON

How might we help ease the transition to reduced phone use in classrooms?

In situations where schools or districts have a ban in place, there is a need for storage and management of student cell phones. This can be a challenge for educators and administration. Recently, we launched new secure and flexible phone storage.  Our solutions hold up to 30 phones with cases, are incredibly secure and perfect for use in classrooms, principal offices, and even school entrances and their flexibility allows them to be placed in various locations. In an emergency, the teacher can quickly unlock and distribute phones to students within the classroom, compared to solutions that use specialized locking tools or that are not kept in the room.

Learn about our NEW Phone Storage Solutions 

See how our Phone Storage solutions compare to others on the market.