Half of states now have laws regulating cell phones in schools

Florida was the first state to pass a law regulating the use of cellphones in schools in 2023.

Just two years later, half of all states have laws in place, with more likely to act soon.

Bills have sprinted through legislatures this year in states as varied as New York and Oklahoma, reflecting a broad consensus that phones are bad for kids.

“This is a not just an academic bill,” Republican Rep. Scott Hilton said after Georgia’s bill, which bans phones in grades K-8, passed in March. “This is a mental health bill. It’s a public safety bill.”

So far, 25 states have passed laws, with eight other states and the District of Columbia implementing rules or making recommendations to local districts. Of the states, 16 have acted this year.

More action is coming as bills await a governor’s signature or veto in Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and New Hampshire.

When Florida first acted, lawmakers ordered schools to ban phones during instructional time while allowing them between classes or at lunch. But now there’s another bill awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ action that goes further. It would ban phones for the entire school day for elementary and middle schools.

Nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted school day bans, most for students in grades K-12, and they now outnumber the seven states with instructional time bans.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong called the ban throughout the school day that he signed into law “a huge win.”

“Teachers wanted it. Parents wanted it. Principals wanted it. School boards wanted it,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong recently visited a grade school with such a ban in place. He said he saw kids engaging with each other and laughing at tables during lunch.

Advocates say that barring phones throughout the day heads off problems outside of class, like when students set up or record fights in halls.

But other states, particularly where there are strong traditions of local school control, are mandating only that school districts adopt some kind of cellphone policy, believing districts will take the hint and sharply restrict phone access. In Maine, where some lawmakers originally proposed a school day ban, lawmakers are now considering a rewritten bill that would only require a policy.

And there have been a few states where lawmakers failed to act at all. Maybe the most dramatic was in Wyoming, where senators voted down a bill in January, with some opponents saying teachers or parents should set the rules.

(See the full AP story and a map of states that have cell phone bans here )


(AP Photo Rick Bowmer)