The majority of both teens and adults support cellphone restrictions in schools, despite reporting no major positive impacts from this shift in policy, according to recent research from the Brookings Institution.
Survey responses from close to 1,100 adults and nearly 400 teens nationwide show that 98 percent of students now attend schools with cellphone use restrictions. Currently, more than 30 states now have policies governing cellphone use in schools, with more state-driven restrictions expected to come into effect this year.
As of October, 55 percent of teens report that they attend a school with a “bell-to-bell ban” that restricts students’ use of cellphones throughout the entire school day, according to this latest research. Another 43 percent of teens and 42 percent of adults reported that schools restrict use only during class time, with students able to use their devices during lunch or passing periods.
“Several years ago, parent pushback to school cellphone restrictions was a legitimate barrier to phone-free schools,” according to researchers. “We find 93 percent of our adult sample preferring either a bell-to-bell ban or no phone use during classes for their teens. Perhaps surprisingly, 76 percent of teens expressed a preference for some form of restrictions on phone use during the school day.”
Unsurprisingly, the survey found that teens are still using their devices in school, even when they are not supposed to. About 56 percent of teens said they check their phones a few times or often during the day; 64 percent said their friends do and 74 percent said students in general do so. About a quarter of those surveyed said they use their devices when they are not supposed to, “sometimes” or “often.”
The discrepancy between students largely supporting cellphone restriction while flouting the rule could be attributed to how they perceive the benefits of such policies.
Asked whether cellphone restrictions make them feel better or worse in six areas, a clear majority of teens said they thought phone restrictions have no impact in five out of the six. Specifically, among teenage respondents:
- 47 percent said cellphone restrictions negatively impacted their happiness, 44 percent said there was no impact and 9 percent said there was a positive impact
- 35 percent said cellphone restrictions added to their stress, 55 percent said there was no difference and 10 percent reported a positive impact
- 17 percent said there was a negative impact on academics, while 64 percent said there was no change and 19 percent said they saw positive change
- 23 percent said these policies negatively impacted their attendance, 68 percent reported no change and 9 percent said there was a positive impact
- 20 percent reported cellphone restrictions made it harder to make friends, 67 percent said there was no impact and 13 percent said there was a positive one
- 13 percent said there was a negative impact on their ability to pay attention in class, while 57 percent reported no impact and 30 percent said they saw a positive change
“Regardless of policy specifics, the majority of students and adults do not perceive downsides. Yet, teens routinely disregard rules, requiring constant teacher enforcement,” the report states. “Students may acclimate to new rules over time, developing new norms for behavior that require less teacher enforcement effort.”
In the meantime, researchers recommend that schools “consider stricter approaches, such as using locked pouches or requiring phones to be in lockers throughout the day. Schools could also communicate more effectively with families about justifications for the policies, asking parents to reinforce school messaging, which might increase student compliance.”
