In 2023, Florida became the first state to enact legislation restricting cellphone use in classrooms. Two years later, half of all states have passed legislation, and more are expected to do so shortly.
There is widespread agreement that phones are harmful to children, as evidenced by the bills that have rushed through legislatures this year in states as diverse as Oklahoma and New York.
As co-chair of the General Assembly’s Education Committee and a Democrat from Connecticut, state Representative Jennifer Leeper referred to phones as “a cancer on our kids” on May 13, saying they are “driving isolation, loneliness, decreasing attention and having major impacts both on social-emotional well-being but also learning.”
Republicans say the same thing
Republican Representative Scott Hilton declared, “This is not just an academic bill,” following the passage of Georgia’s bill in March that only prohibited phones in grades K–8. This bill relates to mental health. The bill pertains to public safety.
Twenty-five states have enacted legislation thus far, while eight additional states and the District of Columbia are either enforcing regulations or advising local districts.
This year, 16 states have taken action. Just Tuesday, lawmakers in Alaska overrode a veto of an education package by Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy for unrelated reasons, forcing schools to regulate cellphones.
As bills in Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Hampshire await a governor’s signature or veto, more action is on the horizon.
Growing emphasis on prohibiting cell phone use during the school day
Legislators in Florida initially mandated that schools prohibit cell phones during class hours but permit them during lunch or in between classes.
However, a more comprehensive bill is currently pending Governor Ron DeSantis’ action. It would prohibit elementary and middle schools from using phones during the school day.
In addition to the seven states that have banned instructional time, nine states and the District of Columbia have banned school days, the majority of which are for K–12 students.
Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota referred to the ban he signed into law during the school day as “a huge win.”
“Teachers wanted it. Parents wanted it. Principals wanted it. School boards wanted it,” Armstrong said.
Recently, Armstrong went to a school where such a ban was in effect. He claimed to have witnessed children laughing and interacting with one another at lunch tables.
The education think tank ExcelinEd, which was established by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, has contributed to the promotion of the “bell-to-bell” bans. The political affiliate of the group has been actively advocating for prohibitions.
Eliminating phones during the day, according to Nathan Hoffman, senior director of state policy and advocacy at ExcelinEd, helps prevent issues outside of the classroom, such as when students start or document fights in the hallways.
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“That’s often when you get some of your biggest behavioral issues, whether they go viral or not,” Hoffman stated.
Other states prefer that school districts establish their own regulations
However, other states, especially those with longstanding traditions of local school control, are only requiring school districts to implement some sort of cellphone policy in the hopes that the districts will follow suit and severely limit phone use.
A revised bill that would only call for a policy is currently being considered by lawmakers in Maine, where some lawmakers first suggested banning school days.
Additionally, lawmakers in a few states have taken no action at all. Perhaps the most dramatic occurred in Wyoming, where senators rejected a bill in January, with some opponents arguing that the rules should be set by parents or teachers.
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There is increasing agreement on exceptions in areas where policymakers have made progress. In order to comply with the requirements of their special education plans and to monitor their medical needs, the majority of states now permit students to use electronic devices.
If English is not a student’s first language or if a teacher requests that students use devices for classwork, some are permitting exceptions for translation devices.
Additionally, there are a few odd exceptions. Students who volunteer as firefighters were exempt from the original South Carolina policy. According to a new law in West Virginia, smartwatches are permitted as long as they are not being used for communication.
