Classroom Technology From Our Research Center

How Strict Are School Cellphone Policies?

By Arianna Prothero — November 13, 2024 | Corrected: November 15, 2024 2 min read
Young student using on smartphone in classroom
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Corrected: A previous version of this story should have said the survey data included teachers and principals only.

Cellphones have become public enemy No. 1 in many schools. They distract students from lessons, fuel bullying and fights, and give constant access to social media, which many educators worry is corroding kids’ mental health.

In response, an increasing number of states and local school districts are considering or passing policies to restrict students’ cellphone use in schools.

Forty-two percent of teachers and principals say that students are not allowed to use their cellphones at all during the school day, although they are allowed to bring them to campus, according to a survey by the EdWeek Research Center conducted in September and October. Another 7 percent say that cellphones are not allowed on campus at all.

The survey findings show that schools are trying a variety of approaches to curb students’ cellphone use, from all-out bans to more tailored restrictions that allow students to use their phones during certain times of the day or in designated areas.

Still, having cellphone restrictions on the books is one thing, and enforcing them is another. A common complaint among educators in EdWeek’s surveys is that cellphone policies are often not enforced by administrators or fellow teachers.

More schools are banning cellphones—but we’ve been here before

Cellphone restrictions in schools are on the rise again after years of schools scaling back on them, said Kevin Thomas, a professor of instructional technology at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. Thomas studies teachers’ attitudes toward cellphones, with a particular focus on preservice teachers, and said that teachers’ views of cellphones in classrooms and cellphone restrictions in schools have ebbed and flowed over the past 15 years.

In 2010, concerns that cellphones would degrade students’ writing skills and make it easier to cheat fueled restrictions around their use in most schools, he said.

“So many schools were banning phones because it was just a new technology,” he said.

However, Thomas said, around 2015 teachers had warmed considerably to the idea of students using cellphones in class. Schools started loosening restrictions as smartphones became ubiquitous and educators found advantages to students having access to educational apps and the internet on their personal devices in class.

Now, cellphone restrictions are back, he said, partly due to a growing awareness—and concern—about the effects of social media on teenagers’ wellbeing and the impact of cellphones on learning. Another factor, he said, is that many schools invested in purchasing tablets and laptops during the pandemic, nullifying the educational value of cellphones in classrooms.

“We needed them in the classroom because we didn’t have 1-to-1 [technology],” Thomas said, and educators were willing to overlook these downsides. “I think that those are the reasons that we’re kind of seeing the pendulum swing back towards banning the phones in the classroom.”

education week logo subbrand logo RC RGB

Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.

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
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
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
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

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

Classroom Technology Opinion How ‘Innovation’ Fails Education
"Innovation” is mostly an unserious distraction from the real work of rethinking education.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Classroom Technology Leader To Learn From This Tech Director Is Revolutionizing Special Education With Gaming
Evan Abramson led the creation of an esports arena for students with autism spectrum disorder. It may be the first in the country.
12 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, Director of Technology and Innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Morris-Union Jointure Commission works primarily with students up to the age of 21 on the autism spectrum. Abramson, through his experience watching his own son with special needs play video games, helped bring an e-sports lab to life at the school in order to help students better regulate themselves.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Abramson spearheaded an esports program to help students on the autism spectrum connect with one another and learn new skills. The gaming arena where students play together may be the first-of-its-kind in the country.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A How a District's Embrace of Esports Is Transforming Special Education
Esports can help build 'soft skills' such as collaboration and teamwork, for students in special education, one district leader says.
3 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, assists a student playing video games in the district's esports arena in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Who Pays for Repairs to Students’ School-Issued Devices?
Providing every student with a school-issued device has become commonplace in K-12 schools, but it's costly to maintain.
2 min read
Tightly cropped photo of a group of students sitting at their desks in the classroom using laptops.
E+