California Wants To Ban Cell Phones In Schools. I Have Strong Feelings.

Lots of people are pushing for this change. We need to talk about it.

Should Schools Should Be Phone-Free Zones?

A few days ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom came out strongly in support of a ban on smartphones in schools, saying “When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies — not their screens.” He promised to work on legislation to make this effort in law.

At the same time, The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country, voted to ban phones from classrooms starting in January 2025.

Many other districts and schools across the U.S. are considering such bans, and lots of people have been asking me what I think about them. Here’s my take:

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY DO THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!

Here’s why I support a ban on cellphones in classrooms:

When I started teaching in 2002, the iPhone hadn’t been invented yet. I remember what school was like before smartphones. Here’s what I’ve seen change as more and more students brought smartphones to school:

• More isolation

• Much more distraction

• Less deep learning and engagement

I’ve also worked in a school that instituted a cell-phone ban (more on that below), and I can say that not having cell phones out in class does change students’ behavior and attention dramatically.

I like Newsom’s proposed statewide ban because it puts the same expectations in place everywhere. It will need to be paired with active, school-wide enforcement by administrators. The more we can avoid having individual teachers tasked with cell phone enforcement, the better. Let teachers focus on teaching and let non-classroom staff deal with the phones.

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The Washington Post Calls For A Ban

I last wrote about this issue in November 2023, when The Washington Post Editorial Board called for a national ban on smartphones in schools. The editorial talks about the efforts some individual schools and districts have made to restrict phone use, and then lays out a major call to action:

“In 2024, these efforts should go even further: Impose an outright ban on bringing cellphones to school, which parents should welcome and support.”

Here’s the board’s reasoning:

Social media, the U.S. surgeon general wrote in an advisory this year, might be linked to the growing mental health crisis among teens. And even if this link turns out to be weaker than some recent research suggests, smartphones are undoubtedly a classroom distraction.

In educational settings, smartphones have an almost entirely negative impact: Educators and students alike note they can fuel cyberbullying and stifle meaningful in-person interaction. A 14-country study cited by UNESCO found that the mere presence of a mobile phone nearby was enough to distract students from learning. It can take up to 20 minutes for students to refocus.

That UNESCO report, “Technology in Education: A Tool In Whose Terms?” cites studies from Belgium, Spain and the U.K. show that banning mobile phones from schools improves academic performance, especially for low-performing students. Students in Spain also reported less bullying after cell phones were banned from schools.

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The New York Times Does a Deep Dive

Around the same time, New York Times writer Natasha Singer wrote two important articles about schools and what they should do about cellphone use:

• This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.

• School Cellphone Bans Are Trending. Do They Work?

Judging by how many times these articles were shared with me, they really struck a nerve with exasperated teachers. Some even decided to ask their students to read and respond, using lesson prompts provided by the New York Times Learning Network.

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My Own Experience With A Cell Phone Ban

Reading these stories, I was reminded of my own experience seeing a cell phone ban go into effect. In 2022, I taught at Francisco Middle School for a few weeks while the school worked to hire a permanent Health Ed teacher. I happened to be there just as the school implemented a new ban on cellphones - it was one of several schools in San Francisco Unified that elected to use Yondr pouches to keep phones away during school hours.

Here’s how it worked: Every student got their own Yondr pouch, which they were responsible for bringing to school every day. School staff members (administrators, security guards, etc.) would greet students at the door when they arrived at school, making sure students locked their devices away in their personal Yondr pouches.

The students keep the pouches with them all day, but couldn’t access the phones inside until school let out. After the last bell rang, school staff members would open the pouches with a magnetic unlocking device, making the phones available to use again.

It’s not as complicated as it might sound - here’s a quick demo showing how it works:

The biggest concern from families about efforts like this is often “How will I reach my child in a crisis, like a school shooting?” That is a real worry, and I think any school putting cell phone restrictions in place will need to address it.

One example of how to do that is shown in this letter introducing a cell phone ban to families from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in San Francisco, which assures families that “School staff will be able to unlock a Yondr pouch in a matter of seconds for students once they are in a safe and secure location.”

In addition to answering questions about safety, they also talked up the benefits of using the pouches, citing these statistics from a Yondr study of 900 school partners:

• 65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance

• 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior

• 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom

Yondr pouches are not a perfect solution, because some students may really need their phones in school. For example, some students with disabilities regularly use phone-based tools to better access material in class, and students who are learning English often use their phones for translation help. In cases like these, schools may need to make accommodations.

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What Other Teachers Say

When I last wrote about proposed cell phone bans, I heard from quite a few teachers about them. Here are some of the comments they shared:

I am a teacher in a NY state middle and high school. Our high school began using the pouches this year and it has been a game changer. Students are more engaged and actually socializing. Students were not happy at first but a few weeks in I don't really hear anything about it. They also have to put their earbuds and smart watches in the pouch.

It has all been wonderful so far. — Holly

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As both a parent and educator I passionately agree that whole school implementation of whatever policy/system is chosen is an effective way to handle this. It's much easier on the parents and teachers when a uniform decision is made. The middle school my son attends has a policy for no cell phones during instructional time or they will be confiscated and they seem to follow it closely.
There's still a lot of social pressure to have a phone during passing/lunch. That being said the older my son gets and has more involvement with sports/clubs I do want him to have access to a mobile device so just leaving it home isn't something I am comfortable with either. I like the idea of having it on their person all day but not being able to use it to encourage real interactions/take off the social media pressure while in the school building. — Lindsey Liebergen 

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I work in a residential treatment setting, that also has a public school on campus. The feedback I continually hear from public students is they are less distracted, less anxious and more productive in school with us. This is because all electronics are checked at the door, and returned at the end of the day. Hearing your phone go off and not being able to check it induces anxiety and can distract thoughts all day. Having a crisis plan in place so parents can contact students in a crisis is important to have in place. The bottom line, students not having phones in school appears to be a definitively better option for education and peer relations. — Erin

Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash

Do You Think Schools Should Ban Cellphones? I’d Love to Know What You Think!

Please comment on this post and tell us what you think schools should do about students and cellphones. Feel free to specify your geographic region and your relationship to this issue (Parent? Teacher? Student? Considered citizen?) We don’t all have to have the same opinion, but please treat your fellow readers with respect.

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