Majority of NEA Members Want Smartphones Prohibited in Classrooms

PTC Says Elected Leaders, School District Must Eliminate Digital Distractions in Schools

LOS ANGELES (August 20, 2024) – The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) is urging school boards and elected leaders to eliminate smartphones in classrooms starting this school year, citing new data showing that 90% of National Education Association members “support school policy prohibiting cell phone/personal devices during instructional time.”

“Children and teens deserve learning environments that are free from digital distractions. It is noteworthy that a majority of NEA members who work in elementary, middle, and high schools believe smartphones/personal devices are causing a range of problems for students. We are failing our children by giving them access to smartphones in schools,” said Melissa Henson, vice president, Parents Television and Media Council.

“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,” she said.

The PTC’s new whitepaper, Smartphones in the Classroom: What States are Doing to Confront These Digital Distractions, found that 28 U.S. states have made efforts to ban or limit cell phone use in schools.

“We are starting to see that more schools and elected leaders are pushing back on cellphone use by children during the school day. But 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,” Henson said.

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.