Should cellphones be banned from classrooms? What students, teachers say

Cellphones and high school education might not mix, according to Pew Research Center analysis published as more and more schools weigh smartphone bans.

One of the nation's largest school districts, the Los Angeles Unified School District, voted Tuesday to ban use of cell phones and social media platforms during the school day. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently called for legislation to ban smartphones in schools because of their addictive nature.

Three states recently passed laws banning or restricting cell phone use in schools. Florida was the first to do so in 2023.

The Pew study, conducted in the fall of 2023, found 72% of the high school teachers surveyed said cellphone usage in classrooms distract students. According to the surveyed teachers, there are preexisting cellphone policies in 82% of K-12 schools and districts in the U.S; however, in 30% of the schools with policies, the teachers struggle to enforce the rules.

The survey found 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers noted the overbearing and attention-grabbing nature of handheld devices.

Perhaps not surprisingly, students did not agree that smartphones are a distraction. Seven-in-10 students aged 13-17 said that phone usage was generally more positive than negative in a classroom.

Forty-five percent of the teens said that smartphones benefited their educational experience, while 23% claimed it made learning more difficult and 30% did not notice a difference.

Smartphones prohibited:States weigh school cell phone bans atop district policies

Which states have banned cell phones in schools?

Not all restrictions look the same: Some schools allow students to use their phones during lunch and in between classrooms, while others ban any use in school buildings.

Earlier this year, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill that requires school districts to limit cell phone use during class time. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a similar bill in May that requires every school district to establish an official policy governing cell phone usage during school hours.

Oklahoma, Washington, Kansas and Vermont and Connecticut have all introduced similar legislation.

Contributing: Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY