What happened after some US schools started locking up students' phones

Early encouraging indicators are prompting more states to adopt the practice.

- Mary Ellen Klas

There are few things most American politicians seem to agree upon, but banning mobile phones in classrooms seems to be one of them. Based on the experiences of some schools that have required students to prioritize learning over TikTok scrolling, there's also a welcome side benefit — less conflict and more "hellos".

When school starts this autumn, students in most US states and DC will be required by law to turn over or turn off their smartphones during all or most of the school day, according to an Education Week tally.

Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Utah have statewide bans. Another 24 states have adopted rules or laws that require restrictions on mobile phones but leave it up to school districts to decide whether to ban them or not. Two states offer districts incentives to restrict phones. Another seven recommend local districts enact their own restrictions.

The methods and policy details vary widely from state to state, but the reasons for silencing phones are pretty universal. A growing body of research has found that the more time children and their developing brains spend on smartphones, the greater the risk of negative mental health outcomes — from depression to cyber bullying, to an inability to focus and learn.

Social media is intentionally designed "to expose users to an endless stream of content" which makes it addictive, said Dr. Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Centre. That's especially risky for children and teens, she said, "because their brains are still developing, and they have less control over their impulses".