Seventy-two percent of high school teachers report cellphone distractions as a significant problem in their classrooms, according to a June 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center. And while 10 states have laws or policies regarding cellphones in K-12 classrooms, the debate over banning cellphones in schools continues.
In the latest installment of “State of Play,” a bipartisan video series created by A Starting Point and NCSL, Vermont Rep. Erin Brady (D) and Indiana Sen. Jeff Raatz (R) discuss the pros and cons of banning or restricting cellphones.
More than 80% of K-12 teachers in the U.S. say their school or district has a cellphone policy, Pew reports, yet 30% say the policies are very or somewhat difficult to enforce. Brady, a high school teacher who also serves as vice chair of the Vermont Committee on Education and co-chair of the State Aid for School Construction Working Group, says cellphones should be banned in schools.
“I think it will be a huge net positive,” she says, noting reports from schools that have implemented bans showing a real change in school culture. “Kids are talking at lunch, they are talking in the hallway, there is more social energy and engagement.”
Brady says she encourages both students and her fellow legislators to consider how future generations might view today’s cellphone use in schools. “I wonder, will we look back in 50 years and say, ‘Did you know kids used to walk around schools with cellphones and social media? That just seems crazy to us today.’”
Similarly, Raatz, who served in the U.S. Army and is chair of Indiana’s Education and Career Development Committee and serves on the School Funding Subcommittee, says he has received feedback from teachers who observed improved student interaction following cellphone restrictions.
“Just hearing that was enough for me to think we did the right thing,” he says.
And while some argue that school cellphone bans violate parents’ rights to communicate with their children, Raatz says teachers should be in control. “There is an adult in the classroom,” he says. “Let them be in charge and handle the situation appropriately.”
Brady agrees, noting that parents can use alternative communication methods, such as calling the school directly or contacting their child via email. “I think it will be a culture shift, but a good one,” she says.