Little Rock, Arkansas – Although California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Arkansas’s Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders share few ideological views, both have been outspoken proponents of a proposal that has been quickly gaining traction across the states: students’ cellphones should not be allowed in class.
Over the last two years, at least eight states have passed such prohibitions, and six additional states are considering doing the same this year.
Here is a look at the state’s efforts to impose such prohibitions.
Concerns about the effects of screen time on kids’ mental health and teacher complaints that cell phones have become a continual distraction in the classroom have fueled calls for cellphone bans.
Schools must have phone-free periods, according to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has urged Congress to mandate warning labels on social media sites concerning their impact on the lives of young people.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 77% of American schools forbid students from using their phones for purposes other than academics. However, that figure is deceptive. It does not imply that all of those institutions are implementing those bans or that students are adhering to them.
The issue is gaining traction because parents and educators in both red and blue states are grappling with the effects of children using mobile devices, according to Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement.
“All children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day, regardless of whether you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban,” she added.
California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia are among the eight states that have passed legislation regulating or outlawing students’ use of cell phones in class.
The policies are somewhat diverse. With a 2023 law requiring all public schools to prohibit cellphone usage during class and prevent access to social media on district Wi-Fi, Florida became the first state to take action against phones in classrooms.
Nearly 1,000 school districts in California are required by a 2024 law to develop their own cellphone rules by July 2026.
While not outright banning phones, a number of other states have urged school districts to implement similar measures or have offered financial support for phone storage during the day.
More than 100 schools signed up for the pilot program that Sanders unveiled last year, which offers funding to schools that implement phone-free programs. Sanders suggested a complete ban in her State of the State speech this week.
In order to prevent our children from being distracted in class or outside of it, Sanders declared, “We will ban cellphones in our schools, bell to bell.”
Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who took office this month, are among the other governors who have recently called for prohibitions. Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has said that she will look for a statewide policy, although she has not provided any details.
Some parents have opposed the cellphone bans, arguing that in an emergency, they must be able to reach their kids immediately.
Some parents have brought up recent school shootings, in which some pupils believed that their final chance to speak with loved ones was when they had access to telephones.
However, proponents of the prohibitions have pointed out that students’ phones may present extra risks in an emergency by diverting attention or by disclosing where they are in the event of an active shooter scenario.
In addition, parents who oppose the restriction have stated that they want their kids to be able to use their phones for other purposes, such as making travel arrangements.
The National Parents Union’s president, Keri Rodrigues, stated that while she thinks that social media poses risks to children, the state-requested bans are very expansive. According to her, banning gadgets throughout the school day won’t address root causes like bullying or the risks associated with social media.
She claimed, “As adults, we have failed to try to teach our children the skills they need to actually navigate this technology.” “When they’re alone after school, we’ve just kicked the can down the road and thrown them into the deep end of the pool.”
