Policies regarding cell phones, uniforms, etc, School policies, Student and staff mental health and wellness, Teaching Conditions

July 2024

There’s a movement in education pushing for cell phone bans in classrooms.

While some leaders and educators still suggest that guiding students toward responsible phone use is superior to banning cell phones, a preponderance of voices indicates a widely shared best practice belief that cell phones need to be kept out of the classroom.

Sample Educator Conversations:

• Educator discussion suggests an increasingly settled viewpoint that the addictive design of cell phones makes them too detrimental to learning and relationships, outweighing any teaching benefit. They also point to conditions that have evolved over the past few years. Teacher voices are particularly illustrative on this point:
  • “I don’t care how engaging a teacher is. In a world of instant entertainment, we cannot compete with TikTok and YouTube. Be honest: How many of us can say we haven’t messed around on our phones during a PD session or a staff meeting?” —Teacher in Ohio
  • “When an edu consultant says [we should teach cell phone use], I wonder if they’ve taught students since 2020. I used to be pro-phones in class and even let kids create norms around use. The phones are different now. People’s relationships with phones are different now.” —Educator in Maryland
  • “No. This is a settled question across the profession. Ban the phones and be done with it. ‘Teaching’ is not the right paradigm for handling a device designed to be addictive.” —Education Leader in Arkansas

• As the next school year approaches, many cities acted over the summer to enact city or district-wide cell phone bans in schools, or seem to be moving toward them:
  • LAUSD Cell Phone Ban
  • Killeen School Board Cell Phone Ban
  • Katy ISD Cell Phone Ban
  • New York City Cell Phone Ban
  • New Jersey Cell Phone Ban