1 year into school cellphone bans, educators report calmer classrooms, stronger student connections

As more states move to restrict student cellphone use during the school day, early evidence from schools already enforcing similar policies suggests the biggest changes may be happening outside of test scores.

While researchers are still studying whether those changes ultimately lead to long-term academic gains, many school leaders say the cultural shifts alone have made the policies worthwhile.

“We’re seeing what I think many educators would expect,” Shavar Jeffries, CEO of the KIPP Foundation, which operates a national network of public charter schools, told ABC News, adding that the foundation has encouraged its high schools to adopt bell-to-bell cellphone restrictions.

“When our phones aren’t competing for our students’ attention, our classrooms are calmer, students are more focused,” Jeffries said. “Teachers spend less time policing devices and they spend more time teaching.”

The growing movement toward phone-free schools comes from mounting concerns about the role smartphones play in learning, attention and student welfare.

Roughly two-thirds of states have now adopted some form of cellphone restriction in schools, with additional legislation under consideration in states including Pennsylvania ahead of the 2026-27 school year, according to an April report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Read the full article.