States are enacting school cellphone bans. Here’s what that looks like.

For the last two years, state lawmakers have worked to curb the worst of social media’s addictive qualities in a bid to ease the ongoing youth mental health crisis. Now, elected officials are looking to take that fight a step further by banning cellphones in public schools.

Virginia became the latest state to regulate cellphones in schools when Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed an executive order last week directing the state Department of Education to draft guidance for public school districts on policies and procedures they can put in place to establish education without cellphones.

Youngkin’s order directs the department to undertake “robust public engagement” with parents, teachers, students and school leaders to develop policies “that establish the age-appropriate restriction or elimination of cellphone use during instructional time, as well as to establish protocols allowing parents to contact their children in emergency and other important situations.”

In a statement, Youngkin called it an “essential action” that will “promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn.”

As school leaders and lawmakers reckon with the effects of cellphone use on education amid the fallout of learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more are formulating policies to prevent their use in school. And while national regulations are highly unlikely, more states and districts are acting alone, either through legislative or executive action.

Independent research shows widespread use of smartphones during school hours. Common Sense, a nonprofit that works to empower young people in the digital age, found last September that the top apps kids accessed during school were social media platforms, YouTube and games. The organization also found that school policies around phone usage varied, and that enforcement was patchy in the face of student disobedience. One 11th grader quoted said a lot relied on “teacher discretion.”

For its part, the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO has called for smartphones to be banned unless they are being used in classrooms to support learning. 

But going phone-less could cause problems. Some observers have warned that blanket bans disregard the potential for technology to help students learn. 

In a survey released in March by the Pew Research Center, almost half—44%—of teens that responded said they feel anxious when they don’t have their smartphone, although far more—72%—said they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they are without their phone. More than two-thirds said phones make it easier to pursue hobbies and interests, although just 30% said it helps people their age learn good social skills.

State-level action has taken many forms already. 

In January, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, sent letters to school leaders across the state, as well as members of the State Board of Education, voicing his worries about cellphone use in schools. Cox pointed to local school districts that have already implemented successful bans on cellphones and recommended that a key to that success is parental engagement.

“It’s so much easier to just ban them altogether,” Ryan Shaw, principal at Evergreen Junior High in Salt Lake City, said in a statement released by Cox’s office at the time. “Learning has improved, and our scores reflect that. Bullying and fighting have decreased. The students connect with each other in a more meaningful way. We are grateful for the support we have from our community council—it’s been critical.”

In May, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed legislation requiring every school district in the state to form a policy governing cellphone usage during school hours that minimizes student use. The law requires that districts “place an emphasis” on limiting cellphone use, although it has exceptions for students who require a phone for health monitoring or for their learning, as determined by local officials.

“Not only is this time precious for the educational development of our children, but we also have a responsibility to safeguard our kids from the nonstop barrage of alerts from the internet and social media that have been proven to be damaging to their mental health,” DeWine said in a statement at the time.

Other states are poised to follow suit. California has a bill that is moving through its legislative process to amend state law to require school districts to adopt a policy to limit students’ cellphone use, and update it every five years. Right now, they are permitted to do so but not required. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he supports these efforts.

Fellow Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said she plans to introduce a bill banning smartphones in schools when the legislature returns in January for its next session. Another way is through the power of the purse: South Carolina lawmakers added language to the state budget banning cellphones in public schools.

Action isn’t just isolated to the state level. New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks said the district could have a ban in place before its 1.1 million students return to classrooms. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education passed a proposal last month on a ban and directed staff to develop policies in the next four months. The Kansas Board of Education has a task force to study the issue.

Supporters say cellphone bans can have a positive effect on education. One study in the United Kingdom, which was considering a nationwide ban in England before its recent election and still may implement one, found that test scores rose in schools that had banned devices.

Whatever comes next for cellphone bans, cooperation is key, supporters said.

“Government cannot be the sole solution to this crisis; school communities—especially parents and teachers—must work together to discuss and develop common sense approaches to limit screen time, prioritize open channels of communication, and reestablish norms that reinforce healthy and vibrant learning communities,” Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said in a statement.