Support for cellphone bans is now growing among U.S. adults

The tide of public opinion is changing when it comes to cellphone bans during the school day.

Nearly half of U.S. adults support “bell-to-bell” (entire school day) phone bans for middle and high school students, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. 48% of those surveyed support such bans while 43% oppose them. This is the first time that most Americans favored all-day bans since Pew began the survey in 2024, when only 36% of those surveyed were in favor.

Even more adults are for banning cellphone use just during class time, with 77% of those surveyed backing in-class bans, up from 68% two years earlier.

Support for all-day and in-class bans is strong across demographic groups, although the most dramatic differences were by age. Older adults are much more likely to back cellphone bans, while only 28% of adults under 30 express support for all-day bans.

Republicans were somewhat more likely than Democrats to favor both classroom and all-day restrictions, but the majority of both parties support the policy.

The Pew survey reflects a broader shift in public opinion as school leadership weighs the benefits of reducing classroom distractions against concerns about safety and communication with parents.

In another Pew survey from last year, most adults said an all-day ban would improve grades, social skills and behavior in class, although far fewer agreed it would make a positive impact on students’ physical safety.

The growth in support coincides with an increase in school cellphone policies; at least 44 states now require schools to ban or restrict phones.

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