In June, the board of the second-largest school district in the nation, the Los Angeles Unified School District, ruled that starting in January 2025, cellphone and social media use would be banned during the school day.
On September 23, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill known as the “Phone-Free School Act,” which requires every school district to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of phones in schools by July 1, 2026.
These actions come during a wave of anti-phone measures implemented across the country, limiting cell phone use in schools.
Similar policies have been enacted in Utah, Florida, Indiana, and Ohio, with more states planning to follow suit.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called upon social media companies to issue health warnings for their platforms and encouraged the use of “phone-free” zones within the home.
As of 2024, 94 percent of teenagers in the United States own a cell phone, a 30 percent increase from ten years ago.
Many teachers believe that cellphones are a constant distraction in the classroom and have contributed to diminished academic performance and a rise in students’ mental health issues.
According to ScienceDirect, research suggests that “the greater the use of a phone while studying, the greater the negative impact on learning and academic achievement.”
Additionally, the results suggest that skills and cognitive abilities needed for students’ academic success and learning are negatively impacted.”
This phenomenon is demonstrated by the fact that students’ ACT scores across the country have plummeted over the past ten years, and test scores in math and reading in the U.S. have reached their lowest levels in decades, corresponding to the increased dependency on phones.
Research from the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry shows that the constant presence of cellphones has led to addictive behaviors among students, as well as an increase in anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Relentless notifications can create a sense of urgency and a fear of missing out.
Furthermore, the excessive use of smartphones can interfere with sleep, which is crucial for mental health.
The damaging effects of phones have been well documented, and all evidence suggests that they have no place within a school. Although it may be difficult for us to give up our phones, it’s for the greater good that we begin to do so. Only then may we see improvements in the mental health and academics of students across the country.