For a Growing Number of Kids, Back to School Means No Cellphones

For a Growing Number of Kids, Back to School Means No Cellphones
by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., childrenshealthdefense.org, 28 August 2024

More and more schools are banning the use of cellphones during the school day, citing research that links teen smartphone use to mental health harm.

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on Aug. 21 became one of the latest to adopt a new policy to lock away cellphones and other smart devices — such as earbuds, headphones and smartwatches — during school hours, reported the MV Times.

According to EdSource, schools are enacting such policies “to curb bullying, classroom distractions, and to combat addiction to the devices.”

Although procedures for the ban vary from school to school, the policy typically entails having students lock their cellphones and other personal devices in an electronic pouch that only school staff can open with a special magnet, or stow their phones in a locker upon arriving at school, EdSource said.

Since early summer, an increasing number of schools have opted to enforce such bans.

On June 18, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest district in the U.S., voted to ban cellphones during the school day starting in January 2025.

The vote came just one day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms citing evidence that social media harms young people’s health.

Murthy cited research showing that roughly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies and increases anxiety and depression.

“Schools should ensure that classroom learning and social time are phone-free experiences,” Murthy wrote in The New York Times.

Just one month later, principals from the New York City Public Schools — the country’s largest district, serving more than 1 million students — told Chalkbeat New York the school system is planning to institute a ban in February 2025.

However, New York City leaders — including Mayor Eric Adams — are still working out the logistical details of the ban, reported the Times. “We’re not there yet,” Adams said in an Aug. 27 press conference. “We have to get it right.”

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 13 urged every school district in the state to restrict cellphone use in classrooms as the new school year begins. California lawmakers are also considering a statewide ban, EdSource reported.

At least five states have already enacted school cellphone bans, including Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ohio.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants her state to be next. In March 2023, Hochul visited schools on a “listening tour” about youth’s mental health. “I know what I’ve heard,” Hochul said in a recent interview. “This is probably the one bipartisan — I want to say nonpartisan — issue that really is having a breakthrough.”

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