The Impact of Restricting Cellphone Use in Classrooms
As students and teachers return to class for the 2025-26 school year, school leaders across Tri-City are reporting that limiting cellphone use in classrooms has proven to be a successful approach. This move is part of a broader trend aimed at reducing distractions and improving student focus.
Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal shared findings from a spring survey of school districts across Washington, indicating that 75% of them will have policies in place when students return this year. Approximately half of these policies restrict device use during instructional time only, while a third completely bans students from using their phones from the first to the last school bell.
A year ago, Reykdal encouraged the state's 295 school districts to develop their own policies to reduce distractions during teaching time. Research has shown that removing cellphones can help improve student concentration, enhance learning, and support better mental and physical health by reducing pressure from social media.
At Richland High School, Principal Nicole Anderson highlighted the benefits of a policy that prohibits "personal electronic communication devices" during class time. She noted that students are now able to engage in more candid, focused, and productive discussions because they are not worried about being photographed or recorded. This sense of safety has allowed students to be themselves.
The Richland School Board implemented a comprehensive policy in November 2024 after pilot projects at Richland and Hanford high schools, as well as Enterprise and Carmichael middle schools, began in the 2024-25 school year. Elementary and middle school students in Richland are required to keep their cellphones turned off and in their backpacks throughout the entire school day, including during lunch and in the hallways. Similar policies are in place for high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools in the Pasco School District.
In the Kennewick School District, a policy has been in effect since 2022 that restricts all students, from prekindergarten to 12th grade, from accessing or using their phones during class time unless permission is granted by a teacher. This policy also addresses issues such as cyberbullying, harassment, unauthorized filming, academic dishonesty, and hacking.
National Trends and Legislative Efforts
Public schools across the United States have increasingly cracked down on cellphone use as research continues to show a link between increased usage and higher levels of anxiety, bullying, depression, and distraction. At least 31 states and Washington, D.C., require school districts to restrict students' use of personal devices in some form, according to an article tracking legislation from Education Week.
Only four states—Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Utah—require all districts to prohibit any and all use of personal devices during the school day. While Washington state currently allows individual districts to make their own decisions, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation earlier this year that would have required districts to adopt some level of restriction during instructional hours before the 2026-27 school year. Although the bill failed to gain traction, it aimed to create model policies for districts to reference.
Teacher Support and Student Resistance
The movement to limit digital devices in classrooms has largely been driven by teachers, who find it beneficial for student engagement and learning. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly 70% of Americans support cellphone bans in class, with 36% supporting all-day bans.
However, young students have shown resistance to changes in their media consumption habits. A 2023 Surgeon General’s report indicated that nearly 95% of students aged 13-17 use social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram “almost constantly.”
Mike Johnson, principal at Hanford High School, noted that both schools recognized the issue of phones creating distractions for students. Teachers eventually worked together to implement policies that had an immediate impact. Students understood the consequences of having their devices confiscated, and many found it to be a relief, allowing them to focus more on classroom instruction and peer interactions.
Johnson leaves it up to teachers on how to enforce the policy, with most requiring students to store devices in their backpacks, while some lock them in cubbies. He emphasized that if a phone is on a student’s body, it remains a constant distraction.
