Timothy Callahan knew his colleagues at the North Adams school district in Massachusetts were nervous about banning cellphone use in their schools. But Callahan, an assistant superintendent at the district, was confident there鈥檇 be a 鈥渞easonable鈥� improvement in student discipline if they implemented the ban well.
But even Callahan couldn鈥檛 have predicted what the data showed.
鈥淎 10 percent reduction would鈥檝e been a win,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e saw a 75 percent drop in referrals in the last quarter of the 2024 school year, compared to the same quarter the previous year. It鈥檚 almost completely attributable to the cellphone ban and [the use of] pouches,鈥� which hold students鈥� devices during the school day.
Issues such as students skipping class or detention, or being out of class without permission, have also reduced 鈥渕assively,鈥� Callahan said. So have safety violations, like roughhousing and verbal altercations that escalate into fights.
Callahan credits this improvement in behavior to students spending far less time on their phones, sharing plans to cut class or meet in the hallways. They鈥檙e also less distracted and more tuned into what teachers are saying, he said.
鈥淭eachers report that they are getting through their material quicker and able to incorporate more long-term assignments in their classes,鈥� Callahan said.
Nationwide, educators and mental health experts have largely deemed cellphones a threat to student mental health and safety. Some teachers have even quit the profession because of their students鈥� overreliance on the devices. Unmitigated access to social media and emerging technology鈥攍ike 鈥渄eepfakes鈥� generated by artificial intelligence鈥攔aise concerns, too, about how students can use these tools against their peers and educators.
These concerns haven鈥檛 gone unheard. At least 19 states have laws or policies that ban or restrict students鈥� use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an 91直播 analysis.
About a half-dozen district and school leaders told 91直播 that the initial student-discipline data recorded after these bans or restrictions were put in place is encouraging. Administrators have reported reductions in cellphone infractions (where students are caught using their phones during instructional periods), instances of verbal and physical aggression, and other disciplinary issues.
An informal poll of school leaders in 91直播鈥檚 Savvy Principal newsletter indicated that 62 percent believe student behavior has improved after their school put cellphone restrictions in place.
Many leaders said their students, albeit grudgingly, agree they are less distracted and more engaged in their classes without cellphones.
鈥淭hey get less riled up about things,鈥� Callahan said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e less obsessed about what everybody else is doing. And they鈥檝e articulated that they don鈥檛 feel like they鈥檙e as much under attack as they were when they had cellphones in their pockets.鈥�
Parents have gotten on board, too. Often, parents tend to oppose cellphone restrictions in schools, citing safety concerns. The leaders interviewed for this story faced similar concerns but were able to convince parents that no cellphones meant a 鈥渄istraction-free environment鈥� where students would thrive. Sharing the positive data on discipline and engagement with parents has helped.
Educators see fewer disciplinary issues after cellphone bans are put in place
Better behavior in and out of classrooms can be a gateway to other positive changes.
The Bentonville district in Arkansas piloted a cellphone ban in one of its high schools in 2023. At the end of the pilot, a survey of teachers showed that 86 percent perceived an improvement in student engagement from the 2022-23 to the 2023-24 school year, 75 percent perceived increased socialization within the classroom, and there was a 57 percent reduction in verbal- and physical-aggression offenses, said Superintendent Debbie Jones.
Jones also pointed to a 51 percent decrease in drug-related offenses, which she believes is a direct result of the cellphone ban. Students used to coordinate exchanging drugs over the phone, she said.
鈥淎lmost every disciplinary infraction begins with the phone,鈥� she said.
After the pilot鈥檚 results, Jones enacted a districtwide policy banning cellphones across all schools: From kindergarten through 8th grade, students aren鈥檛 allowed to take their cellphones out during the school day; from grades 9 through 12, they have to keep the phones switched off and stored away. The phone is taken away if a student uses it during instructional time.
David Moore, the superintendent of the Indian River County district in Florida, said the most significant impact of a districtwide cellphone ban has been felt in his middle schools. Moore implemented the ban鈥攚hich prohibits elementary and middle school students from using their phones at all and high school students from using their phones during class鈥攁t the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.
鈥淢iddle school [cellphone use] was our biggest problem,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭here was a 14 percent decrease in fights from this exact time this year in comparison to last year.鈥�
Before the cellphone ban, students would cyberbully each other, take teachers鈥� pictures without permission, and manipulate those images by putting their heads on a different body. All that activity within the confines of the school has stopped, Moore said.
In the first year of the ban, 42 students were sent to an alternative school because they couldn鈥檛 comply with the district鈥檚 cellphone policies after at least four warnings and other consequences. So far this school year, Moore said, no students have been sent to the alternative school.
That statistic, Moore said, shows 鈥渉ow bad it was in terms of certain students being so addicted to being on their phone that despite the consequences, they just continued to take it out.鈥�
Middleburgh Jr./Sr. High School in Massachusetts implemented its restrictions on cellphones two years ago. As principal, Matthew Sloane initially faced pushback from some students who got straight As but felt they were being punished by the new cellphone ban.
鈥淚 asked those same students, 鈥楬ow do you feel every time a teacher has to stop your class to tell your classmates to put their phone away?鈥欌�� Sloane said. That logic worked with the students.
In addition to fewer cyberbullying and disciplinary issues in school, Sloane noticed something else: As students started to pay more attention in class, teachers had to redo their lessons to make them more interactive. Students now express if they鈥檙e bored and want the lesson to be more engaging, he said.
Cellphone bans can be a leap of faith. Educators say they鈥檙e worth the jump.
The best way to get a ban or a policy to stick is to implement it districtwide and have clear consequences etched out, said Jones of the Bentonville, Ark., district. It can鈥檛 be left up to individual schools or teachers to implement their own cellphone policies, she added.
Bentonville has set up a strict code of conduct around cellphones: Once students are at school, they must either store their cellphones in Yondr pouches or have them on silent mode in their bags.
If a student is found violating the policy, a series of consequences kick in that range from confiscating the phone to an in-school suspension. Educators must strictly adhere to that plan so students know exactly what they鈥檙e in for if they continue to take out their cellphones, Jones said.
Almost every disciplinary infraction begins with the phone.
Without a clear districtwide policy in place, dealing with cellphones is an uphill battle for teachers. The North Adams district, for example, initially only asked students to put their phones away during their classes; they could still use them in the hallways or during lunch. That often led to a 鈥減ower struggle鈥� between teachers and students, Callahan said.
Some teachers would be stricter about students pulling out their phone and demand they hand it over, while others would be more lenient鈥攚hich meant there was no consistent deterrent. Callahan said the district even tried an 鈥渋ntermediate鈥� step of giving each teacher a set of lockers for their classrooms. If they found a student using their phone, they could confiscate it till the end of the period.
鈥淲e probably spent $5,000 on them. Ended up having no impact at all,鈥� Callahan said. Teachers still had to get involved and enforce the policy on their own.
Now, according to the new rules, teachers can just alert a dean or the principal if they spot a student using a cellphone. The phone will be taken away until the end of the day.
If a student refuses to comply, they鈥檙e escorted out of class. In case of a second-time violation, parents must sign a document to get the phone back.
Callahan said since the policy of no cellphones during the school day went into effect, cellphone infractions have risen marginally to four or five offenses per day, but he expects those to drop over time as students get used to the new rules.
Leaders hope these initial changes in students behavior stick. Some are keen to see kids build on the 鈥渇reedom鈥� they have from texting and being hooked to social media.
Jones said cellphones in school bred too much dependence on parents, inhibiting students from independent thinking and figuring stuff out on their own.
鈥淵ou forgot your lunch? Well, go ask someone what you can do about that,鈥� she said. "[They need] to have the ability to solve problems. That鈥檚 critical.鈥�
