As cell phone bans sweep the nation, new research suggests that students use their devices anyway, despite knowing the consequences their schools enforce.
Nearly 80% of teens attend a school with a “no cellphone” policy, according to a report from the University of Southern California’s Center for Applied Research in Education. These policies vary in application.
Nearly half of teens say their school allows phones on campus, but cannot be used at all during the day, while about 40% say phones are only restricted during instruction.
Recent media headlines suggest heightened efforts among state lawmakers to crack down on cellphone use in schools. The Georgia State Legislature is considering expanding the state’s cellphone ban to high schools, Georgia Public Broadcasting reports.
A bill passed last year gave school districts until Jan. 1, 2026, to ban phones during instructional time in grades K through 8. The move to expand the legislation comes after positive feedback from educators.
“I’ve just been blown away at the positive reaction across the board from all different constituencies, teachers, administrators, parents and even in a lot of cases, students who have experienced a difference and said, ‘Oh, wow, I kind of like this,’” Peachtree Corners Republican state Rep. Scott Hilton told the news outlet.
Not every student welcomes the prohibitions. The research reveals that 56% of students report using their phones for non-academic purposes “a few times” or “often” throughout the day, despite 50% of teens saying that their school’s cellphone policy has become stricter over the past year.
The most frequent enforcement actions schools take are verbal warnings (64%), confiscating phones (63%) and notifying parents (60%).
But teens and adults think cellphones have little impact on academic integrity, student-teacher relationships or the sense of community in classrooms.
This may stem from the fact that only 16% of parents were invited to provide input on their school’s cellphone policy, compared to 38% who said they weren’t given the opportunity.
Among those who provided input, here’s how their school or district allowed parents to be part of the process:
- Surveys (55%)
- In-person meetings (55%)
- Website (18%)
- Phone call (13%)
- Volunteer committee (6%)
Read the full report here.
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