Balancing Benefits and Barriers: Exploring the Impact of School Cellphone Bans on Student Engagement, Well-Being, and Learning

Abstract

Students in 2025 classrooms represent some of the first individuals to grow up entirely in the smartphone era, never knowing a world without apps, notifications, and constant online access. In response to concerns about student academic performance, engagement, and mental health, many U.S. states and school districts have implemented restrictions or bans on the use of cellphones during the school day. This article examines the emerging evidence on the benefits and challenges of such policies on students, parents, and teachers. Reported advantages include more time spent reading for pleasure, increased physical activity, more free play, and reduced classroom distractions and cyberbullying. At the same time, obstacles arise: parents express safety concerns, students rely on phones for academic functions such as multifactor authentication for dual enrollment courses, and teachers face the strain of enforcing bans. Importantly, some scholars argue that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that banning cell phones will achieve all that is hoped.