Cellphones

Learn more about cellphones in K-12 schools—whether they are being banned, used as instructional tools, or something in between

Tracker

Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?
See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools.
Young girl using a cellphone in class. On her desk is an open notebook and a pencil.
skynesher / iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Cellphone Restrictions Are Coming to California Schools
A new law requires all public schools in California to limit students' access to cellphones during the school day.
Lauraine Langreo, September 23, 2024
2 min read
Student is working in a school notebook with a pen. He has a smart watch on his wrist.
Forty percent of educators think smartwatches pose a behavioral or disciplinary challenge, new research shows.
galitskaya/iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy From Our Research Center Why Schools Are Getting a Jump on Their Smartwatch Policies
A small but growing number of schools are adding smartwatches to their cellphone policies.
Olina Banerji, September 23, 2024
4 min read
Young Girl Holding Phone with Backpack on School Staircase
E+
Student Well-Being Parents Want Cellphones in the Classroom. Here's Why
More than three-quarters of parents whose children have cellphones said they want their children to take them to school for emergencies.
Arianna Prothero, September 13, 2024
5 min read
Erin Clark shared screenshots of a text message conversation she had with her son, Ethan, just before 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2024.
Erin Clark shared screenshots of a text message conversation she had with her son, Ethan, just before 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2024.
Erin Clark via WSB TV
School Climate & Safety The Georgia School Shooting May Accelerate the Backlash to Cellphone Bans
Emotional texts exchanged during the Apalachee High shooting have reopened the question of cellphones in schools.
Elizabeth Heubeck & Lauraine Langreo, September 5, 2024
6 min read
A silhouette figure looks at their phone, glitch neon transparent effect action stance photo over subtle motherboard maze
iStock/Getty + Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion Why Cellphone Bans Aren't the Cure for Student Anxiety
Simple solutions can’t solve a complex problem. Here’s what we need to do instead.
Tom Moore, August 22, 2024
5 min read
School nurses Heidi Bakke, left, and Molly Cavey walk a student to their office while working at Wilson Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2019, in Janesville, Wis.
School nurses Heidi Bakke, left, and Molly Cavey walk a student to their office while working at Wilson Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2019, in Janesville, Wis.
Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP
School & District Management Collection Essential Reading for Educators: Back-to-School 2024 Edition
Key reads on big topics for the 2024-25 school year.
August 21, 2024
A sign is shown over a phone holder in a classroom at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. At the rural Utah school, there is a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class. Each classroom has a cellphone storage unit that looks like an over-the-door shoe bag with three dozen smartphone-sized slots.
A sign in a classroom at Delta High School in February reinforces the policy of the rural Utah school that students check their phones at the door as they enter each classroom.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Ed-Tech Policy Teachers Want Cellphones Out of Classrooms
Members of the nation's largest teachers' union say they want bans on cellphones during class time.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 15, 2024
3 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Your Guide to Setting a Cellphone Policy: Tips, Tradeoffs, and More
Here's a decisionmaking tool for educators to map out the different potential outcomes when putting cellphone policies in play.
Olina Banerji & Laura Baker, August 9, 2024
1 min read
Illustration
F. Sheehan for Education Week + Getty
Classroom Technology Then & Now How the 'Sexting' Panic Previewed Today's Debate About Kids' Cellphone Use
As technology evolves, one axiom stays the same: Schools must help students weigh how to responsibly fit it into their lives.
Evie Blad, July 30, 2024
7 min read
0724 opinion summer posts tech bander fs
F. Sheehan/Education Week + iStock + TarikVision
Classroom Technology Opinion What Teachers Need to Know About Classroom Technology
Cellphones and AI can be a blessing for teachers or a burr in their sides. Here's guidance on making the most of today's tools.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 29, 2024
1 min read
A ninth grader places her cellphone in to a phone holder as she enters class at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. At the rural Utah school, there is a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class. Each classroom has a cellphone storage unit that looks like an over-the-door shoe bag with three dozen smartphone-sized slots.
A 9th grader places her cellphone in a phone holder as she enters class at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. Some educators are hoping for national guidance from the National Education Association on cellphone policies.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Teaching Profession Will the NEA Take a Position on Cellphones in Schools?
Some educators believe a policy statement from the union would give them cover to enforce restrictions that may be unpopular.
Brooke Schultz, July 24, 2024
4 min read
Sets of hands holding phones. Scrolling smartphones, apps mail, applications, photos. cellphone camera.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Classroom Technology How to Manage Cellphones in Schools: 6 Tips From Teens (Download)
Three teenagers talk about how schools should think about and manage students' cellphone use.
1 min read
Illustration of cellphone with cracked screen.
iStock
Classroom Technology Opinion Why I Changed My Mind About Cellphones in the Classroom
A decade ago, I championed smartphones as a powerful learning tool—but a lot has changed since then.
Jody Passanisi, July 23, 2024
4 min read
Two students look at a cellphone in class
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Teaching Is Cellphone Management a No-Win Situation? Teachers Weigh In
On social media, educators share their experiences on trying to manage cellphones in the classroom.
Tanyon A. Duprey, July 19, 2024
6 min read