Are you thinking of changing the cell phone policy in your school district? As it turns out, you’re not the only one. With smartphones in the pocket of almost every student, districts are scrambling to find a cell phone policy that best serves their community. We’ve gathered everything you need to know to help you navigate this age-old dilemma.
How did we get here?
By 2009, 91% of school districts banned cell phone usage in class. However, as you may remember, smartphones weren’t commonplace in schools back then. Yes, the iPhone was invented in 2007, but it wasn’t in the pocket of every student that roamed the halls. Instead, if students had phones handy, they were most likely flip phones with little use for anything other than calling and texting. Even then, unlimited text and call plans were seen as a luxury, not the norm.
Fast forward to 2015––smartphones have taken over, and almost every student had access to one, fully equipped with internet, games, music, podcasts, and more. Despite the distraction potential going through the roof, only 66% of school districts nationwide had a cell phone ban at that time.
By 2021, the number of districts with bans went up to 76%, still not reaching pre-smartphone numbers, and with mixed success.
What’s trending now?
As we move into 2025, it looks as though most districts are banning cell phones again, however total bans seem to be the minority. For example, in July 2024, Indiana’s cell phone ban went into effect, banning all electronic devices during instructional hours. However, the ban, as it stands now, is unclear about whether students are allowed to use phones during lunch, transitional time, etc.
How do families feel about these changes?
According to the National Parents Union polling (based on 1,508 families of public schools in grades K-12), 62% of families say their children can’t use their phones during class time but are allowed to outside of instructional hours. The remaining 38% said their school has a complete ban.
At the same time, 71% of families said they think the policy is “about right”.
Unsurprisingly, safety is the main reason families want their kids to have access to their phones for at least some of the day.
Should I ban phones in my district?
Only you know what’s best for your school district and community at large. It’s a difficult question to answer, since you’ll undoubtably have mixed opinions regardless of the decision you make. However, here are some things to keep in mind as you outline your phone policy:
Consider the burden on teachers. Many districts have an open-ended policy that leaves the decision up to the individual teacher’s discretion. While that may seem like the best way to please everybody, it actually leaves teachers with little support. If a class’s science teacher is open to cell phone use and their English teacher bans it, the class is less likely to respect the English teacher’s rules.
Real life experience with digital citizenship. Cell phone use isn’t all bad. In fact, students need to use their phones to get real-life experience with digital citizenship. As they get older and you introduce media literacy and digital citizenship into their curriculum, they need the basic knowledge to understand those more nuanced concepts.
Safety first. As previously stated, families feel best knowing their child can reach them in the event of an emergency. We trust that your safety communication channels are robust, but that peace of mind means a lot to families.
Phones are an indisputable distraction. In a study conducted by Common Sense Media,53% of students aged 8-12, and 69% of students aged 13-18, reported that they are distracted by social media during school.
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