Ed-Tech Policy

Your Guide to Setting a Cellphone Policy: Tips, Tradeoffs, and More

By Olina Banerji & Laura Baker — August 09, 2024 1 min read
Image of a cellphone on a student desk.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A growing number of school and district leaders are grappling with a daunting question: Should they ban cellphones at school?

Cellphones are a certified nuisance for some educators. They sap them of their will to teach as they fight a losing battle with social media and incoming text messages for their students’ attention spans. A growing number of studies have linked smartphone and social media use to deteriorating mental health among young children. Social media, specifically, has been linked to an increased risk of depression in girls, and the U.S. surgeon general argues that it should come with a warning label when used by children under 14.

The challenges facing youth mental health, student well-being, and behavior have prompted at least 10 states to pass laws or enact policies that ban or restrict the use of cellphones in schools statewide, or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an Education Week analysis.

If schools totally or partially ban cellphones, school leaders and educators have to navigate the tricky gap between policy and implementation. Each decision—like letting students use their phones in the hallways but not in class—will lead to intended and unintended consequences.

For instance, not having a uniform cellphone policy for classrooms could put undue pressure on teachers to figure it out on their own. Parents also have a wide range of sometimes strong opinions about whether their children should be allowed to have their phones handy.

There are costs to consider, too, if schools have to lock away students’ phones at the beginning of each day. Companies that provide phone storage pouches, like Yondr, can charge districts up to $30 per student.

Administrators need a decisionmaking tool that can help them map out the different outcomes to consider when putting cellphone policies in play. Education Week has put together a resource that can help, based on extensive research and reporting.

Did we miss anything? Drop us a note at obanerji@educationweek.org with other considerations and consequences.


Additional Reading

Dive deep into the debate on cellphones in K-12 schools—bans, restrictions, classroom learning tools, and more.
Student Well-Being Q&A When Social Media and Cellphones Are Lifelines to Kids Who Feel Different
Like it or not, social media is an important venue for teens to find community and hone their identities.
4 min read
Young girl looking on mobile phone screen with multicolored social media icons. Finding community, belonging. Contemporary art collage. Concept of social media, influence, online communication and connection.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock
Classroom Technology Opinion Why I Changed My Mind About Cellphones in the Classroom
A decade ago, I championed smartphones as a powerful learning tool—but a lot has changed since then.
Jody Passanisi
4 min read
Illustration of cellphone with cracked screen.
iStock
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words Cellphones Turned My Teaching Career From 'Awesome' to Exhausting
A former high school teacher shares how his students' increasing reliance on cellphones drove him out of the classroom.
5 min read
Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Cassidy Araiza for Education Week

Image of cellphones.
RyanJLane/iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Tracker Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?
See which states passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies.
1 min read

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Personalized Learning Webinar
Personalized Learning in the STEM Classroom
Unlock the power of personalized learning in STEM! Join our webinar to learn how to create engaging, student-centered classrooms.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Webinar
Students Speak, Schools Thrive: The Impact of Student Voice Data on Achievement
Research shows that when students feel heard, their outcomes improve. Join us to learn how to capture student voice data & create positive change in your district.
Content provided by Panorama Education
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: How Can We ‘Disagree Better’? A Roadmap for Educators
Experts in conflict resolution, psychology, and leadership skills offer K-12 leaders skills to avoid conflict in challenging circumstances.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Ed-Tech Policy E-Rate Is in Legal Jeopardy. Here’s What Schools Stand to Lose
The FCC released a fact sheet about how the E-rate helps schools in response to a court ruling that threatens the program's funding.
1 min read
Photograph of a young girl reading, wearing headphones and working at her desk at home with laptop near by.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Ed-Tech Policy Billions of Dollars for Ed Tech in Schools Are Now in Jeopardy. Here's Why
A federal appeals court ruling has put the funding mechanism for the nearly 30-year-old E-rate program in legal jeopardy.
5 min read
Photo of teenage girl using laptop computer in school library.
E+
Ed-Tech Policy FCC Update to E-Rate Program Will Help Students Do Homework Anywhere
Supporters say the change aligns with the realities of today's education landscape.
3 min read
Photo of a blurred image of a female student in the background working on a laptop at home with a closeup of the modem router on the table in the forefront.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Q&A Why Many Schools' Strict Cellphone Policies May Not Go Far Enough
A national advocacy group says schools need all-day bans on devices.
6 min read
Image of a cellphone being erased by a pencil.
Kotryna Zukauskaite for Education Week