A growing number of U.S. schools ban phone use in classes or all day. The aim is to reduce texting, social media use, cyberbullying, videotaping and other disruptions to learning – a goal widely supported by parents, psychologists and politicians of both major parties. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia began this academic year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states that limit on electronic devices in public schools – up from just Florida at the start of 2023. It's one of the swiftest and most significant policy shifts in schools in recent year, reshaping daily routines for millions of students in all grades.

Los Angeles district Superintendent Alberto Cavalho, who feels many students are "addicted" to phones, said the ban encourages face-to-face conversations -- "allowing them to socially interact with peers of their age, allowing them to not be distracted in the classroom." Teachers welcome the policies, reporting calmer, quieter classrooms and easier instruction without pinging or buzzing devices. "Kids are talking to each other in the hallways and in the cafeteria. And in the classroom, there is a noticeably lower amount of discipline referrals," says Julie Gazmararian, an Emory University professor in Atlanta who studies the effects of a middle school phone ban locally. A 2024 poll by the National Education Association, a teachers' labor union, found that 90 percent of the 2,900 respondents support prohibiting student phone use during instructional hours. Seventy-five percent want restrictions for the full school day. "We're competing with Netflix, FaceTime, texting," says science teacher Noelle Gilzow of Columbia, Missouri. "They're even watching March Madness!" Another instructor, Davor Espejo of San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, Calif., observes: "Parents are struggling with monitoring and dealing with these devices at home, so they know what we are dealing with."

Most bans apply throughout school hours, though seven states allow phones during lunchtime and between classes. Rules cover all wi-fi devices, including watches and tablets with messaging and internet browsing capabilities. Each district decides how phones are stored -- such as in pouches, lockers or backpacks. Violators can face verbal warnings, counseling, parental notification or temporary device confiscation.

Some state lawmakers hesitate to follow the trend. Wyoming's Senate this year defeated a bill requiring districts to adopt cellphone policies, with opponents arguing that decision-making should remain with teachers and parents. In Michigan, a Republican proposal for a statewide ban failed in the House after Democrats objected on grounds of local control.

Student says: "I'm kind of 50-50 on the situation because I use headphones to do my schoolwork. I listen to music to help focus." -- Audreanna Johnson, junior at McNair High School in Atlanta

Educator says: "I don't want to be the phone police. I want to teach." -- Devon Espejo, art teacher at San Marcos High in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Psychologist says: "We have good science to show that banning cell phones in classrooms during class time is really important because there's no such thing as multitasking. We all are just engaging in task-shifting back and forth, and kids' brains are not fully developed enough to be able to task-shift as well as adults." -- Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.