Saying phones should be banned in schools is easy. Actually doing it is a lot more complicated.

What's happening

As students across the country start to kick off another school year, a growing number of them will be greeted by strict new restrictions on when and where they can use their cellphones.

The push to ban phones in schools has gained major steam over the past year. Since July 2023, 12 states have imposed new rules aimed at limiting students’ phone use in the classroom and on campus. That list is primed to get longer. Virginia, Ohio and Minnesota have already passed phone rules that are set to kick in next year. Several other states, including California and New York, are exploring their own bans.

Where there aren’t statewide laws, cities, districts and individual schools are taking action on their own.

The case for phone bans

The movement behind phone-free schools is fueled by the belief the devices are harmful to learning and detrimental to students' social and emotional health. More than 70% of high school teachers say that cellphone distraction is a “major problem” in their classrooms. Many education experts also believe that phones fuel bullying, sexual misconduct and even violence. In June, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy argued that keeping phones out of school is an important step in curbing the mental health crisis plaguing America’s youth.

Not everyone is onboard with banning phones in schools. Some of the most vocal opposition often comes from parents, who worry that not having access to a phone could make their kids less safe. But the rapid spread of phone bans signals that, across the country, the anti-phone case is winning the argument.

Bans aren't all created equal

For many schools, deciding to crack down on phone use is where the debate really begins. That’s because there is no consensus on what “banning phones” actually means.

A recent survey by Education Week shows the wide variance in how schools carry out their cellphone policies. In a lot of cases, phone bans apply only to the classroom. Students are required to stow their devices away during instruction periods, but are free to use them during breaks like lunch or between classes. Other schools bar students from using their phones for the entire school day, often by having them put them in their locker or in sealed pouches that can only be opened by a staff member at the end of the day. A small minority of schools ban phones on campus entirely, effectively forcing students to leave their devices at home.

Each of these strategies comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. Bans that only apply to the classroom are less likely to prompt strong resistance from parents and students, but they can also be harder to enforce and still leave students vulnerable to the potential harms of phones during noninstruction times. At the same time, not every school has the resources to spend $25 per student for pouches to support an all-day ban. There are also concerns that kids might miss out on some of the positive aspects of the internet or face safety risks under the stricter policies, especially if they’re not even allowed to bring their phones with them on the way to school.

Installing a phone ban also means having to enforce it and there’s a lot of debate over what the consequences should be when students inevitably violate the ban. Some cities are taking a hard line. In New Orleans, for example, students caught breaking the rules may have to pay a monetary fine, have their phone confiscated for days or weeks at a time and even face suspension or expulsion for repeat violations. Other schools simply take the phone away until the end of the day or until a parent can come retrieve it.

Finally, there’s the question of who should be setting these rules in the first place. Universal bans imposed by the state government or at the city level may carry more authority and help ensure that every school is following the same rules, but might also prevent schools or even individual teachers from adjusting their policies to fit the specific needs of their students.

Perspectives

Total bans are the only truly effective answer

“Understandably, individual schools and school districts … are trying to crack down on smartphones. Students are required to store the devices in backpacks or lockers during classes, or to place them in magnetic locking pouches. In 2024, these efforts should go even further: Impose an outright ban on bringing cellphones to school, which parents should welcome and support.” — Editorial, Washington Post

Bans should only apply to the classroom

“It’s during those in-between times … that students can experience the mental health advantages of phone-free interactions, allowing them to grow socially and emotionally.” — Sheila Kelly, a board member for Arlington Parents for Education, to The 74

Schools need to be careful not to go overboard with punishments

“We are living through a moment when punishing students — including things like confiscating their cellphones — is out of vogue. Schools have heard loud and clear that students are struggling, they are fragile, and the priority is to build relationships. To make students feel welcome. Punitive discipline is alienating. … There’s a tension between the prevailing desire to lighten up on discipline and the need for consistent enforcement if we want fewer phones in class.” — Tim Daly, Fordham Institute

Strong penalties are needed for bans to have any shot at working

“Limiting or banning cellphone use should be implemented across all school districts with strict penalties that show students it’s not worth trying to skirt the rules.” — Ray Marcano, Columbus Dispatch

Schools need to have the power to decide what works best for their students

“Cellphones may make for another easy bogeyman, but blanket bans are ill-informed and regressive. … Educators on the ground should choose for themselves when and whether to allow their students to carry cellphones to class, so they can leverage learning apps to help students make progress.” — Michael B. Horn, Education Next

The rules need to be set at the top to ensure consistency and follow through

“District or statewide initiatives reach more schools, taking effect at schools in an area at or around the same time. This is preferable to a piecemeal approach that can leave some schools without a policy in place. By setting these rules at the top, it also relieves school officials from the burden of making these decisions.” — Bryce Fiedler, Charlotte Observer

No one should pretend that banning phones will magically fix every problem

“If you ban it, it's not going to immediately cure all the cyberbullying. It's not going to immediately take a D student to an A student. There's a lot more factors involved in it. And so you have to really make sure that when you ban cellphones, that it's not just a symptom of a bigger problem that might be happening.” — Liz Kolb, professor in teacher education at the University of Michigan, to NPR

Phone bans only exacerbate the problems they’re supposed to address

“The internet is the most powerful educational tool we have, and the phone … allows us to carry the internet in our pockets. I wouldn't want the phone taken away from me. … If we think we're going to solve the problem by taking cellphones away from kids, we're not. If anything, we're adding to their anxiety.” — Peter Gray, child psychology research professor at Boston College, to Axios