Map Shows States Banning Phones in Classrooms As Pennsylvania Signs Bill
Summary
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law requiring schools to prohibit students from possessing or using personal mobile devices throughout the school day. Schools must adopt compliant policies by the start of the 2027–28 school year, with exceptions for certain medical, disability, language-learning and instructional needs. The measure is part of a wider national shift: a July report found that at least 40 states had enacted policies on cellphone use in schools.Key Facts
- Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1014 requires restrictions to cover classes, lunch, recess and transitions between classes.
- The law applies to public school districts, charter schools, career and technical schools, cyber charter schools, and private and nonpublic schools.
- Exceptions include documented medical, disability or special education needs, English-language learning devices, and some pre-approved instructional uses.
- Federal data from 1,490 public schools found that more than half of school leaders believed cellphone use harmed academic performance.
- Nearly three-quarters of surveyed school leaders reported negative effects from cellphone use on students’ mental health and attention span.
- Alabama and Arkansas enacted restrictions covering the school day in 2025.
- Florida’s 2025 law bars elementary and middle school students from using cellphones throughout the school day, while high school restrictions apply during instructional time.
- Georgia extended bell-to-bell device restrictions to students in grades 9–12 through a 2025 law.
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