More states are sending a message to schools: Curb cell phone use by students

Already prevented by most U.S. schools for non-academic use, cell phones have become the target of new state-level bans or other legislative actions, including laws passed this year by the Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio legislatures.

The overarching goal of these measures is to curb the use of cell phones during the school day due to concerns that range from disruptions in learning to adverse impacts on the school environment and young people’s mental health. There are variations in these laws, however, from one state to the next.

Minnesota’s law, SF 3567, broadly calls for every school district to adopt a policy on student possession and use of cell phones; it tasked two state associations of school principals with developing a set of best practices.

Ohio’s HB 250 requires all school districts to develop a policy that reduces cell phone-related distractions in the classroom and that makes overall use “as limited as possible” during the school day. However, the new law also notes that cell phones must be allowed when necessary to monitor or address a student’s health concern or to implement any special education instruction, supports or services detailed in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Legislators charged the state Department of Education and Workforce with crafting a model policy on cell phone use.

Indiana’s SB 185 also includes exceptions related to a student’s IEP and health care needs; additionally, language in the new law “permits a student to use a wireless communication device in the event of an emergency.” The law also explicitly gives teachers the latitude to allow cell phone use by students for educational purposes.

Iowa, Kansas and Michigan are among the other U.S. states where legislation was introduced in 2024 to limit cell phone use in schools, according to KFF. Bills did not pass prior to legislative adjournment in Iowa and Kansas, and the Michigan proposal had not advanced out of committee as of early December. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 76.1 percent of U.S. schools prohibited the non-academic use of cell phones in 2021-’22.