New wave of laws could reshape school for US students. Here's how.

Lawmakers in a growing number of states are moving forward with laws that would crack down on cellphone use in schools.

Since January, at least 11 states have amended laws or passed new ones governing the use of cellphones in school, while similar legislation has failed in four others, according to an analysis produced by the Becca Schmill Foundation, the Institute for Families and Technology, Smartphone-Free Childhood US, and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.

"When we think about distraction-free learning, building community and all the the things we hear about with the anxious generation, improving student well-being is vital and is a vital goal for these policies," said Emily Rapp, policy director at the the Institute for Families and Technology.

Meanwhile, there's new research on the efficacy of these bans and fresh warnings about excessive screen time for children.

Bell-to-bell phone bans are among the strategies proposed in a new Surgeon General's advisory warning of the threat excessive screen time can pose to kids. But new research has found little evidence of the purported benefits touted by supporters of the bans.

Here's what to know about the state of school cellphone bans:

Where are phones banned in school?

In 2026, Indiana and Kansas joined North Dakota and Rhode Island in implementing policies that meet what advocates call the gold standard for keeping schools phone-free. Under a strict bell-to-bell policy, students must keep their phones in inaccessible locations throughout the entire school day.

Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming recently passed or updated less-restrictive legislation on phones in schools, according to the policy assessment. Similar changes soon could be coming in Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 1 passed legislation that would require all school districts to adopt phone restrictions, while leaving the details up to local officials. If the bill clears the Senate, which already passed a different version of the proposal with near-unanimous support, it will head to the desk of Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has also expressed his support for a statewide bell-to-bell ban.

Under the measure, districts would have to roll out their new ban by the start of the 2027-2028 academic year.

“Pennsylvania’s educators have long known that easy student access to personal smartphones, smartwatches and tablets is a problem in our schools,” Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement. “These mobile devices disrupt classroom lessons, distract students from learning and facilitate cyberbullying.”

On May 31, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring all public and charter schools in the state to adopt policies restricting student use of cellphones, tablets and other devices during class time. If signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, who has advocated for banning cellphones in schools, the Illinois State Board of Education will publish a template policy by Sept. 1 that can be used by local school districts.

Montana is the only state that hasn't introduced some kind of legislation around phones in schools, according to Rapp. And phone ban bills recently failed in Connecticut, Mississippi, South Dakota and Washington, earning those states an "F" on the policy report card.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s bell-to-bell cellphone ban died in May, despite bipartisan support, the CT Mirror reported. Lamont reportedly brushed off the failure as a scheduling issue, saying, “It’ll pass next year."

Why are schools banning cellphones?

The U.S. surgeon general’s office warned May 20 that "compulsive" screen use is linked to poor sleep, substance abuse and developmental disruptions as well as mental health, behavioral and social issues in children and teens. The advisory suggested that school cellphone bans are one tool that could help curb excessive screen time.

Supporters of school cellphone bans like Lina Nealon, director of strategic partnerships at the Institute for Families and Technology, say the strictest bans can improve academic performance, boost students’ mental and physical health, increase teacher satisfaction, protect student privacy and foster school community relationships.

"This is now a public health issue. It's an educational issue," Nealon previously told USA TODAY. "We do not let schools decide on a case-by-case basis or districts decide on a case-by-case basis what their smoking on campus policies are going to be or how they're going to address asbestos. This issue is at that level."

Do school cellphone bans work?

A study of schools that required students keep their devices in lockable pouches found that while the policy does meaningfully reduce phone use, it did not appear to affect test scores, attendance, self-reported classroom attention or perceived online bullying.

The research, published in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research, also found disciplinary incidents like suspensions rose and students' reported well-being fell in the first year the bans were implemented, but these effects receded in subsequent years. Though the results were surprising, study co-author and Stanford University Professor Thomas Dee said he still has hope that phone bans can help students succeed.

"All of these considerations underscore my personal view that we shouldn't necessarily walk away from school phone bans on the basis of these early results, though they are disappointing, because as schools adjust to phone-free environments they may have the capacity to realize some of the hypothesized benefits," he said.

The bans have also sparked some pushback, particularly from parents who want to be able to get in touch with their children directly in the event of an emergency like a school shooting. Those fears were underscored when the Monroe County Community School Corporation received a "non-specific threat to student safety" and locked down all its buildings.

Parents only heard from the school about it a few hours later in an email. In the meantime, Bethany Mussman told the Indy Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, that she found out about the lockdown from her 16-year-old daughter, Aurora.

When Aurora inquired about her younger siblings, Bethany was able to call their schools and pass the information on to Aurora over text. Being able to text about her status provided all involved a sense of comfort.

Without it, Aurora said, "I would have had much more anxiety."

Contributing: Bethany Rodgers, USA TODAY NETWORK; Andy Carrigan, Springfield State Journal-Register; Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY