Many Schools Are Phone Free for Students: What’s Next?

Since the release of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and the call for “phone-free schools,” a plethora of states (18 plus DC to be exact) and a continually growing number of foreign countries have responded favorably. Thanks to the research and model policies of the Phone-Free Schools Movement, millions of young people are now able to better focus on the hard work of learning without being distracted by the latest TikTok reels or YouTube Shorts. 

As Vice President of the Parents Television and Media Council Melissa Henson reminded me recently, smartphones aren’t only a distraction for the user, but also to neighboring students. Henson’s organization has created an immensely valuable resource with state-by-state break downs of current policies, common objections, a plethora of studies and supporting research, as well as practical solutions for parents and legislators.

In May, in my home state of Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed into law one of the first full statewide “Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone-Free” measures. In the words of Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera, this legislation requires school districts to “ensure that every student in every school in the Commonwealth has the opportunity to be fully present and distraction free throughout their school day.” By not allowing students to use cell phones during instructional time, in between classes, or during lunch breaks, students are focused on learning and building real, in-person community.

What School Leaders and Parents Are Seeing 

Roanoke County, Virginia Middle School Principal Chris Benson already had a similar school policy in place, but since the statewide ban has gone into effect this school year, he has found that the policy “helps us stand in solidarity with the rest of the school district and has made the messaging really clear.” No longer do parents have one rule being applied to their middle school student and a different policy for elementary or high school students. The clarity of a statewide policy has made it easier for Benson’s teachers to “follow through from day one” and increased the level of support teachers are receiving in the classroom. Taking the burden off of the teacher’s and involving administrative support and accountability have led to livelier hallways and more engaged students in the classrooms. Despite the rumors that parents are in opposition to bell-to-bell policies, Benson said that he has not received any pushback from parents or guardians.

Another elementary school principal I spoke with said only a single parent out of the entire school voiced any concerns about the new policy. Once the principal and parent sat down to discuss the reasons behind the policy, the parent quickly came around. In both schools, the principals were quick to credit Virginia’s policy with helping improve their schools for both teachers and students. This tracks with the national data showing that the stricter the policy, the better the results.

By not allowing students to use cell phones during instructional time, in between classes, or during lunch breaks, students are focused on learning and building real, in-person community.

The success of these policies isn’t only being seen by administrators. Faith Colson, mom to a middle schooler and two high schoolers and the wife of a high school teacher, told me that before Texas implemented a bell-to-bell policy, her husband “spent one third of class time policing phones. Now administrators back up the policy because it’s the law.” This has allowed her husband to focus on teaching and has significantly cut down on the number of students using phones during the school day. He has also noticed that students are no longer rushing through their work in anticipation of in-class phone time. The students are more thoughtful, working more diligently, and spending any down time socializing with classmates. As reported on these pages, a recent study in Florida shows that cell phone bans are especially beneficial to boys, where test scores have increased since phone bans were implemented.

The Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) implemented a district wide phone-ban for this school year, yet neighboring Burbank Unified School District has failed to follow suit. Jim Festante, a dad and former marketing executive for tech companies, told me that when it comes to students having access to cell phones during the school day, “it is such a disaster. I think parents are waking up. It’s the internet and the access to apps. That’s the problem.” Why his son’s school district has failed to implement a bell-to-bell policy is unclear, but he’s hoping that by building community support Burbank schools will soon follow the example of LAUSD and the other states who have successful bell-to-bell policies. Festante is hopeful that long before his second grader reaches middle school, phone-free schools will be the norm across the country. And he is in good company.

In October, at an event at The Heritage Foundation co-hosted by the Center for Responsible Tech, Haidt encouraged parents and policy makers in the room to continue pushing for bell-to-bell policies with school boards and state legislators. He placed a strong emphasis on correcting policies that only put in half measures, remarking that going bell-to-bell is the only sensible option. When students still have access to their phones during the school day, even during lunch and breaks, they will continue to miss out on the benefits of building healthy social lives.

What's Next?

Clearly, great strides have been made in the last 18 months, and many parents are starting to ask, “What’s next?” The next phase of returning childhood to its previously healthier forms will come from raising the minimum legal age for social media accounts, as IFS has advocated, and restricting the overuse of school issued laptops, Chromebooks, and iPads.

After I gave a presentation to parents on the dangers of smartphones and social media recently, a parent in the audience asked, “If all of these devices are bad for my daughter, then isn’t doing all of her A.P. homework late into the night on the school-issued laptop also bad for her?” This mom zeroed on what the data is pointing to: test scores began to drop nationwide once textbooks were replaced with online books. To combat this, organizations such as the Distraction Free Schools Project are mobilizing parents to speak out against internet connected devices being used by students. Many parents and advocates are calling for a return to computer labs, where students are taught necessary typing skills and how to use software programs.

In a world where algorithm-driven apps have decreased student learning, platforms have been charged with stealing the private data of countless minors, and Big Tech has manipulated and addicted children, it’s time to reconsider the role of screens in childhood. Technology can be a useful tool at times but will always fail at being an ever-present companion.

Emily Harrison is a writer, advocate, and speaker on digital media and family. She is a Fellow with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Ambassador for the Phone Free Schools Movement, and ScreenStrong, and a member of Fairplay’s Screen Time Action Network. She blogs weekly at DearChristianParent.Substack.com.