State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools

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School leaders and educators began grappling with the role handheld electronic devices should play in educational spaces in the 1980s, when students brought pagers to schools in increasing numbers. Educators worried the devices could disrupt the classroom and hurt academic performance. Those concerns continued as cellphones and smartphones became widely adopted in later decades, leading districts to set policies on where and when personal devices could be used on campus.

In most states, school boards or superintendents most often set policies on cellphones and other technologies in public schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), around 76% of schools said they banned the non-academic use of cell phones or smartphones during school hours during the 2021-22 school year, down from 91% in 2010. In many high schools, administrators allowed cell phone use at designated times during the school day, such as lunch.

Beginning with Florida in 2023, some states enacted laws or policies regulating student cellphone usage in public schools. Proponents of these restrictions argued that cellphones distract students, adversely affecting learning, and referenced academic research suggesting cellphones and social media increase anxiety and depression in children. Opponents said enforcing classroom cellphone bans can be difficult and that many parents use cellphones to keep in contact with their children, especially during emergencies.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of September 4, 2025, 34 states had enacted laws or policies on K-12 classroom or school cellphone usage.

Twenty-six states—Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Ohio, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia—ban or limit cellphones in classrooms.

The Connecticut Department of Education, the Kansas Department of Education, and the Washington Department of Education adopted policies encouraging districts to limit cellphone usage in classrooms. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) issued an executive order encouraging districts to limit cellphones in schools.

Four states—Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico—require K-12 public school districts to adopt policies around student cellphone use, though the laws don't specify the form those policies should take.

Recent news

Below, you'll find the four most recent state actions on cellphones in schools. Click here to see a full timeline.

• July 2, 2025: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed an executive order prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day.
• July 1, 2025: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) signed HB 959, which requires districts to prohibit student cellphone use during the school day.
• July 1, 2025: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed HB 96, requiring districts to adopt a policy prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day.
• June 30, 2025: New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) signed HB 2, requiring school districts to develop policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day. The bill requires that the policies contain exceptions for medical, disability, or other needs.

State-level school cellphone policies

The map below shows statewide K-12 school cellphone policies.

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