Is your student returning to a phone-free school?

Written by PTC | Published August 24, 2024

Students across the country are returning to school this week, or will be returning soon. In many states and school districts, those students will be facing a new reality: phone-free schools!

The PTC recently released a new white paper examining what school districts across the country are doing to address phones in schools. You can read the full report, Smartphones in the Classroom: What States are Doing to Confront These Digital Distractions here.

To-date, 28 U.S. states have made efforts to ban or limit cell phone use in schools. Notably, Florida has banned smartphones from schools. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order to create a “cellphone-free education” as a necessary step to improve education and children’s mental health. In June, Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation, approved a resolution to develop a policy that bans student use of cellphones and social media platforms during the entire school day. New York Governor Kathy Hochul conducted a listening tour to help inform a policy proposal about how to deal with cellphones in classrooms.

There is no question that these measures are necessary. A recent survey of National Education Association members shows that 90% “support school policy prohibiting cell phone/personal devices during instructional time.”

NEA members cited several concerns, including that smartphones are distracting, social media use impacts the mental health of students, and that smartphones can be weaponized against classmates and teachers. And let’s not forget that social media and technology is addictive and can expose children to predators, sexually explicit and graphically violent content.

Given the significant mental health challenges America’s young people are facing – challenges that even the U.S. Surgeon General has tied to cellphone use – this is unquestionably a positive development, and it is encouraging to see more schools and elected leaders pushing back on cellphone use by children during the school day.

But although physicians and psychologists, parents and policy-makers, teachers and administrators all seem to be aware of the significant challenges posed by phones in the classroom, there is still work to be done!

Every day I hear from frustrated parents, “how am I supposed to support no phone at school when we are told my child has to download an app in order to ride the bus?” Or “my child missed tryouts for their high school sports team because the coaches use X and Snap to communicate.”

They are angry and sad – and they feel like they are being backed into a corner where they have to cave-in and give their child a phone in order for their child to participate in life!

That’s not right. And it shouldn’t be that way. Schools – and that includes those responsible for organizing after-school activities -- need to support parents in their choice to not give their child a phone.

More states need to address this crucial issue. It is not enough to do piecemeal efforts by one school district here, and another there. Each state must move towards prioritizing student learning and success by eliminating smartphones in classrooms.

Take Action. Stay Informed.