In the United States, more and more schools are implementing policies that restrict the use of cell phones as concern for digital distraction, mental health and academic performance increases.
The magnitude of the problem is significant. According to a 2023 Common Sense Media report, 97% of students between 11 and 17 years use their cell phones at least once during the school day. These students spend an average of 43 minutes online every day during school hours. Social networks, YouTube and video games were the main uses of the cell phone by the students.
The schools have already begun to take action. Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics published in 2025 show that 77% of public schools prohibit cell phones during classes. 38% of schools have cell phones that restrict their use also out of class, including during free periods, between classes or during extracurricular activities.
Legislators from different states and educators of school districts throughout the country are implementing various solutions. Some are based on partial restrictions, while others apply total prohibitions.
Many still seek balance between access to technology and minimization of distractions.
However, what is clear is that cell phones became one of the central problems that make up the current school environment.
The role of technology in the classroom
As researchers and teachers who study the integration of technology for teaching and learning, and that we are also parents of school -age children, we firmly believe that digital technologies are no longer optional complements. They became indispensable in modern classrooms, acting as versatile instruments for instruction, collaboration and student participation.
Let’s take as an example the continuous transition from traditional textbooks on paper to digital. This transformation has expanded access and created new opportunities for interactive and personalized learning. Abundant evidence demonstrates the positive effects of technology in supporting students’ participation in class and their academic performance.
Student access to digital devices has improved significantly as the United States schools continue to invest in technological infrastructure. A 2023 report of the National Center for Educational Statistics indicates that between 94 and 95% of public schools provide devices to students who need them, although there are disparities between states.
A growing number of districts is adopting 1: 1 initiatives, guaranteeing that each student has access to a personal device, such as a laptop or a tablet. These initiatives accelerated after the Covid-19 pandemic showed the need for reliable access to learning technologies in schools for all students. They highlight the fundamental role that technology plays in daily teaching in the classroom.
These technologies have great educational potential. However, if they are not integrated reflexively and regulate effectively, they can inadvertently reduce concentration and harm learning.
Our recent systematic review of digital distraction in classrooms, which synthesized 26 empirical studies, identifies three main factors that drive distraction Among students:
- Technology -related factors included the constant use of social networks, text messages and cell phone addiction. These represented more than half of the reported distractions.
- Personal needs, such as entertainment, represented more than a third.
- The educational environment, including the unattractive teaching in the classroom, the mismanagement of the classroom and the difficulty of the content of the course, explained the rest.
You are interested: study reveals that the prohibition of cell phones in schools improves concentration
To address these challenges, the authors of the articles we reviewed suggested strategies such as teaching students to control their own behavior and concentration, silencing notifications, establishing clear policies on the use of devices or prohibiting their use.
The studies of our review also established a clear distinction between the mobile devices provided by the school and those of personal property. The devices provided by schools are usually equipped for educational purposes, improved with greater security and designed to restrict the uses they distract. Personal devices are much less regulated and more prone to an out of the task.
As schools provide more and more devices designed for learning, the role of personal cell phones in classrooms becomes more difficult to justify, since they have more distraction risks than educational benefits.
Laws and policies on the use of cell phones
Several US states approved laws that prohibit or restrict the use of cell phones in schools, with some notable differences.
The definition of wireless communication devices varies according to the State. In Michigan, the Senate Draft 234, approved in May 2025, describes a wireless communication device as an “electronic device capable of, among other things, send text messages, communicate by voice, entertain yourself, navigate, access the Internet or generate email”.
Although most states include several types of technology in the list of wireless communication devices, a Colorado bill, approved in May 2025, clearly identified that laptops and tablets were not included in the list of restricted wireless communication devices.
Most state laws do not specify whether prohibitions apply to both personal devices and school devices. An exception is the bill that Misuri approved in July 2025, which clearly specifies that its prohibition refers only to personal devices.
North Carolina made exceptions in a bill approved in July 2025, allowing students to use wireless communication devices for educational purposes. Other exceptions in the North Carolina bill include an emergency, when the individual educational programs of the students require it, and a documented medical condition.
In their bills, most states offer recommendations for school districts to create cell phone use policies for their students. For example, Wake County policy in North Carolina, one of the largest school districts in the State, specifically refers to personal devices of wireless communication.
Primary and secondary students must silence them and save them between morning and afternoon bell, either in a backpack or in a locker. For high school students, teachers can allow their use during classes, but they must silence them and save them during school hours. They can be used in school buses with low volume and headphones.
*Kui Xie He is dean of the Faculty of Education and Human Development, University of Missouri-Columbia; Florence Martin She is a learning, design and technology professor, North Carolina State University.
This text was originally published in The Conversation
Do you like photos and news? Follow us on our Instagram
