More Americans support school cellphone bans compared to last year, with 74 percent adults saying they would support banning middle and high school students from using their devices in class — up from 68 percent in fall 2024, according to data released in July by Pew Research Center.
Far fewer oppose classroom bans or are unsure (19 percent and 7 percent respectively). However, these numbers increase when it comes to full-day bans (which were opposed by 46 percent of those surveyed, while 10 percent said they were unsure), suggesting many would be okay with students retaining access to their phones during times such as passing periods or at lunch. Still, 44 percent of respondents said they support bans on student cellphone use during the entire school day — up from 36 percent last fall.
Majorities of respondents broken down by age, race and ethnicity said banning cellphones during the entire school day would positively impact students’ social skills, grades and behavior in class, but fewer said a ban would positively impact student safety.
For example, 73 percent of white adults said an all-day ban would positively impact social skills and 70 percent said it would improve grades and behavior in class. Over half of Black and Hispanic respondents also agreed that full-day cellphone bans would improve these metrics, as did more than 60 percent of Asian respondents.
Across all racial and ethnic groups, just 36–38 percent said it would help increase physical safety.
While those ages 18–29 were less likely than other age groups to respond affirmatively that all-day bans would improve outcomes, majorities did still agree that young people would likely develop stronger social skills (36 percent), improve grades (60 percent) and behave better in class (57 percent). Just 26 percent said such bans would improve physical safety on campus.
When asked what the role of government should be in regulating school cellphone use, 36 percent said they are more concerned that state and local governments won’t go far enough in their regulations, while 29 percent are more concerned that they might go too far.
Currently, 32 states have regulated classroom or school cellphone use to some degree, with about half of states banning or limiting cellphones in classrooms. In California, local educational agency governing boards are required to adopt a policy restricting or banning the use of cell phones in schools by July 1, 2026.
Overall, majorities across all age groups now support banning cellphone use — at least during class. Researchers noted that wasn’t the case last year, when 45 percent of adults under 30 supported a ban. Now, 57 percent of this group support a ban, alongside 83 percent of those 50 and older and 71 percent of those ages 30–49.
Along racial and ethnic lines, nearly 80 percent of white and Asian adults said they support cellphone bans in class, compared to 65 percent of Hispanic and 59 percent of Black adults.
Learn more about how LEAs are grappling with the issue in CSBA’s summer 2024 feature, “Cellphone bans: Lessons learned from schools that have implemented smartphone restrictions.”
