Word on the Beat: Cellphone Bans

What it means: Typically set by school boards or district officials, cellphone bans put limitations on students using the devices during class time or on campus property. That can range from comparatively modest rules, such as letting students use phones freely during lunch hours, to stricter bans, prohibiting students from even carrying the devices during school hours. As of October, 35 states had policies or laws limiting cellphone use by public school students.  

Why it matters: With American students continuing a rapid downward spiral on standardized tests designed to measure their basic skills in reading, writing, and math, policymakers and parents are frantically looking for solutions. In addition, amid a growing number of studies and anecdotal reports tying “smartphone” usage and depression and other mental issues in young people, cellphones are increasingly seen as both a distraction and a danger to their well-being. Similarly, smartphones are often blamed as an overly accessible conduit for potentially harmful content, particularly social media (the U.S. Surgeon General has suggested social media should carry a health warning label similar to tobacco and alcohol). 

Who’s talking about it: The debate over when portable technology moves from a help to a hindrance in public schools is as old as the transistor radio (you can look that one up, here, kids!). Cellphones, long a source of distraction for kids and adults, have been in the crosshairs since they became widely available. An October 2025 working paper – from University of Rochester and RAND Corp. researchers published by the National Bureau of Economic Research – pushed the issue back into recent headlines. In schools with previously high levels of cellphone use, student test scores inched upward, and attendance also improved after the ban. These were modest gains but enough to grab headlines. The Hechinger Report’s Jill Barshay dug into the University of Rochester/RAND working paper, including the troubling finding that it sparked a short-term spike in Black student suspensions. 

When to be cautious: With absenteeism skyrocketing and student test scores continuing to slide, policymakers and educators are looking for explanations – and scapegoats. Education reporters covering the new University of Rochester/RAND working paper have generally done a solid job couching the findings along with the limitations. Other factors at these Florida schools might have influenced student achievement and attendance, other than the cellphone ban.  As with all education research, it’s important to remember that correlation is not causation. It’s possible that other factors influenced both student learning outcomes and the discipline rates. And, just as importantly, the working paper relied on a small sample in one school system in a single state. Even so, the results are a good jumping-off point for broader conversations about how these bans might be implemented and the metrics that are being used to measure successes or shortcomings. 

As Chalkbeat’s Erica Meltzer reported, Harvard education professor Martin West told the Senate education committee at hearings in September that “We lack direct evidence of a causal link between smartphones and learning, but I’m convinced that this technology is a key driver of youth mental health challenges, a distraction from learning, both inside and outside of schools, and a deterrent to reading.” (For more on wise use of education research in your reporting, take a look at these EWA resources.)

Where are the challenges for students and schools? Asking digital natives to put down their phones, even temporarily, is difficult for parents to pull off, never mind classroom teachers. The compulsion to spend time with screens was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, its related lockdowns and school closures. Adding another complicating factor: Many schools use digital apps to deliver homework notifications and reminders, and even instruction. For students without laptops or tablets, their smartphones are where they study and sometimes even write longer assignments. Some parents are particularly reluctant to send their children to class without a way to stay in touch in the event of an emergency – an all too familiar scenario in the age of lockdowns and school shootings.

Want to know more? The Pew Research Center found growing support among Americans for limiting access to cellphones for younger children and youth. Research has also shown a correlation between social media use and mental health issues, including depression, in adults as well as teens.