School Cell Phone Bans by State

This article, originally posted on July 31, 2026, was last updated on Aug. 11, 2026, to include new state policy developments and implementation updates.

States across the country have adopted a variety of approaches to regulating student cell phone use during the school day. According to Ballotpedia, 45 states have enacted laws or adopted state-level policies addressing student cell phone use in K-12 public schools. However, those laws and policies vary significantly in what they require. Some states have implemented statewide bell-to-bell restrictions, while others prohibit phones only during instructional time, require local districts to adopt their own policies, or provide guidance without mandating specific restrictions.

While the specific requirements differ, many of these laws and policies are intended to reduce classroom distractions, improve student engagement, support learning, and address concerns about student well-being and school climate.

This resource categorizes each state's approach, tracks pending legislation and other significant policy developments, and is updated as new laws are introduced or enacted, guidance is released, and new research and insights become available.

Below you'll find the latest related developments, a snapshot of the current policy landscape, and a state-by-state breakdown.

Latest School Cell Phone Ban News

• Aug. 7: California schools begin implementing new cell phone restrictions — As students return for the 2026-27 school year, districts across California are putting new cell phone policies into practice under the state’s Phone-Free Schools Act. Implementation varies by district, with some adopting bell-to-bell restrictions and others allowing phones to remain stored in backpacks. Early experiences from districts that adopted restrictions ahead of the statewide deadline point to improvements in student focus and fewer behavioral issues. [Read more]
• July 30: Support for all-day school cell phone bans reaches a record high — A new national survey found growing public support for prohibiting student cell phone use throughout the entire school day. [Read more]
• July 28: New Mexico launches $1 million grant program to support cell phone policies — The state announced funding to help school districts and charter schools implement instructional-time cell phone restrictions, with grants available for phone lockers, locking pouches, network firewalls, and other implementation tools. [Read more]
• July 28: Illinois enacts a statewide school cell phone ban — Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation requiring districts to adopt policies banning student cell phone use during school time beginning with the 2027-2028 school year. [Read more]
• July 27: Study finds possible well-being benefits but no improvement in test scores — New research suggests school cell phone bans may support some aspects of student well-being, although researchers did not find evidence of improved academic performance. [Read more]
• June 1: Pennsylvania lawmakers advance bell-to-bell restrictions — The Pennsylvania House passed legislation that would prohibit student cell phone use throughout the school day, while separate legislation has also advanced in the Senate. [Read more]

States with Bell-to-Bell School Cell Phone Bans

These are the states where students generally cannot access personal cell phones during the school day.

Arkansas

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 142
• Summary: Prohibits the use of a personal electronic device during the school day.

Georgia

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year (K-8)/2027-2028 school year (9-12)
• Law: HB 1009
• Summary: Starting July 1, 2026, students in grades K-8 are prohibited from accessing cell phones during the school day. The requirement will expand to grades 9-12 beginning July 1, 2027.

Hawaii

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: Statewide policy
• Summary: Cell phone use is prohibited during school hours for elementary and middle school students. For high school students, cell phone use is prohibited during instructional time, with schools able to determine whether phones may be used before and after school and during non-instructional times.

Kansas

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: HB 2299
• Summary: Prohibits students from using or accessing cell phones during the school day. Must be turned off and securely stored away in an inaccessible location.

Kentucky

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 208
• Summary: Requires local school boards of education to adopt a policy to, at minimum, prohibit student use of cell phones during the school day. Social media must also be prohibited through school technology.

Maine

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: LD 2212
• Summary: School boards must adopt and implement a policy prohibiting cell phone use during the school day, from starting bell to dismissal bell.

Missouri

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 68
• Summary: Schools must adopt a written policy that, at minimum, prohibits a student from displaying or using a cell phone from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day.

Nebraska

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: LB 140
• Summary: Policies must prohibit the use of cell phones while on school property or attending a school function.

New Hampshire

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 2
• Summary: Schools must develop and adopt policies that "prohibit cell phone use by students from when the first bell rings to start instructional time until the dismissal bell rings to end the academic school day."

New Jersey

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: S3695
• Summary: Guidelines must prohibit non-academic use of an internet-enabled device on school grounds during the school day and must provide age appropriate and grade-level differentiated guidelines.

New York

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB S3006C
• Summary: Schools must adopt and implement policies that ban cell phone use from the first bell until dismissal. Schools are allowed to develop their own plans for storing cell phones during the day.

Oklahoma

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 139
• Summary: Each school district board of education must adopt a policy prohibiting student cell phone use while on the campus of a public school district from bell to bell.

Oregon

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: Executive Order 25-09
• Summary: All school districts must have a policy that prohibits the use of cell phones by students from the start of regular instructional hours until the end of regular instructional hours.

Rhode Island

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 771
• Summary: Policies must prohibit physical access to cell phones by students during the school day.

South Carolina

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: Department of Education memo
• Summary: Schools must implement a policy adopted by the State Board of Education that prohibits access to cell phones by students during the school day.

Texas

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 1481
• Summary: Schools must adopt and implement a policy that prohibits students from using cell phones on school property during the school day.

Utah

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: SB 69
• Summary: Students cannot use cell phones at a school during school hours.

Vermont

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 480
• Summary: Schools must develop and review at least annually a policy that bans student use of cell phones from arrival to dismissal.

Virginia

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: SB 108
• Summary: Schools must develop and implement a policy that prohibits student cell phone on school property from bell to bell.

States Requiring Instructional-Time Cell Phone Bans

These states require students to refrain from using personal cell phones during instructional time.

Alabama

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 166
• Summary: Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Alabama prohibits students from possessing wireless communication devices during the instructional day unless they are turned off and stored off their person, with limited exceptions established in law.

Florida

• Effective: 2023-2024 school year
• Law: HB 379
• Summary: Students may not use a wireless communications device during instructional time.

Indiana

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: SB 185
• Summary: Schools must have policies that prohibit students from using cell phones during instructional time.

Iowa

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HF 782
• Summary: Board of Directors of each school district must adopt policies that restrict student use of cell phones during classroom instructional time.

Louisiana

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: SB 207
• Summary: No student shall possess a cell phone throughout the instructional day. If a student does bring one, it must be turned off and properly stowed away or prohibited from being turned on.

Michigan

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: HB 4141
• Summary: School boards or board of directors must implement a policy that prohibits students from using cell phones on school grounds during instructional time.

Nevada

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 444
• Summary: Board of trustees of each school district must adopt local policies that restrict student cell phone use during instructional class time.

North Carolina

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 959
• Summary: Students are prohibited from using, displaying, or having a cell phone turned on during instructional time.

North Dakota

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 1160
• Summary: Cell phones must be silenced or turned off, securely locked away, and inaccessible to students during instructional time.

Ohio

• Effective: Jan. 1, 2026
• Law: HB 96
• Summary: Schools must adopt policies that prohibit all cel phone use during the instructional day.

Tennessee

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 0897
• Summary: Local boards of education must adopt a policy that prohibits students from using cell phones during instructional time.

West Virginia

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 2003
• Summary: Schools must adopt a policy that prohibits students from using cell phones in a classroom setting during instructional time.

Wisconsin

• Effective: July 1, 2026
• Law: AB 2
• Summary: By July 1, 2026, schools must adopt a policy that prohibits student cell phone use during instructional time.

States Requiring Instructional-Time Cell Phone Limits

These states require schools or districts to adopt policies that limit cell phone use during instructional time but allow flexibility in how those restrictions are implemented.

Arizona

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 2484
• Summary: Limits the use of wireless communication devices by students during the school day.

California

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: AB 3216
• Summary: Every public school district, charter school, and county office of education required to adopt and implement a policy limiting or prohibiting student smartphone use during school hours by July 1, 2026.

Delaware

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: SB 106
• Summary: Policies must include clear guidelines about what constitutes acceptable cell phone use at school and a requirement that limits cell phone use during instructional time.

States Requiring Districts to Adopt Cell Phone Policies

These states don't prescribe one statewide policy but require every district to create one.

Alaska

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: HB 57
• Summary: Each school district must adopt a policy that regulates the use of non-school-issued devices during regular school hours, including lunch and passing periods.

Colorado

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: HB 25
• Summary: By July 1, 2026, schools must adopt, implement, and post on its website a policy concerning student cell phone use during the day.

Maryland

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: Maryland Phone Free Schools Act
• Summary: Schools are required to adopt policies around student cell phone use but the law does not specify requirements. However, starting in the 2027-2028 school year, schools must adopt a policy that restricts student use of cell phones during school hours.

Minnesota

• Effective: March 2025
• Law: SF 3567
• Summary: Schools must adopt a policy on students' possession and use of cell phones in school by March 15, 2025.

New Mexico

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: SB 11
• Summary: Schools must adopt student cell phone policies, with guidance from the state education department.

Wyoming

• Effective: 2026-2027 school year
• Law: SF0035
• Summary: All school district Boards of Trustees must adopt a policy governing student possession and use of cell phones. A copy of the policy must also be submitted to the state superintendent "as soon as practicable after the initial adoption of the policy."

States Encouraging Local Policies

These states encourage or recommend that school districts adopt student cell phone policies but do not require specific statewide restrictions.

Connecticut

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: Personal Technology Use in Connecticut Schools
• Summary: School leaders must develop and enact a districtwide Personal Technology Use in Schools policy "inclusive of cell phones and current and emerging technologies."

Idaho

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: Executive order
• Summary: Encourages all schools to have a district wide policy in place on cell phone restriction in schools by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

Montana

• Effective: 2024-2025 school year
• Law: Governor's letter
• Summary: Governor asks all school districts to consider adopting policies that create "cell phone-free schools."

Washington

• Effective: 2025-2026 school year
• Law: District guidance
• Summary: Wash. governor encourages school districts to "engage their communities over the next year with a goal to reduce distractions during instructional time."

States with Upcoming Statewide Restrictions

These states have enacted laws that will require statewide student cell phone restrictions in future school years but have not yet taken full effect.

Maryland

• Effective: 2027-2028 school year
• Law: Maryland Phone Free Schools Act
• Summary: While districts are currently required to adopt student cell phone policies, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year those policies must restrict student cell phone use during school hours.

Illinois

• Effective: 2027-2028 school year
• Law: Public Act 104-0657
• Summary: Prior to the 2027-2028 school year, districts must have policies banning cell phone use during school time.

States with Pending Legislation

Lawmakers in these states are considering statewide student cell phone restrictions, but legislation has not yet been enacted.

Connecticut

• Effective: TBD
• Law: HB 5035
• Summary: A bill that would have required bell-to-bell cell phone bans in Connecticut schools failed to become law for the second consecutive year after the state Senate did not vote on it before the legislative session ended. The bill passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support (117-31) in April 2026, and Gov. Ned Lamont advocated for the proposal in both legislative sessions. As a result, decisions on student cell phone policies remain with local school districts.

Massachusetts

• Effective: TBD
• Law: House and Senate cell phone legislation
• Summary: The Massachusetts House and Senate have each passed legislation that would require public school districts to prohibit cell phones during the school day. Lawmakers are currently working to reconcile differences between the two bills before sending a final version to the governor.

Pennsylvania

• Effective: TBD
• Law: HB 1014
• Summary: Both the Pennsylvania House and Senate have advanced separate bipartisan bills that would require public school districts to prohibit student cell phone use throughout the school day ("bell-to-bell"). Gov. Josh Shapiro supports a statewide policy, but the legislation has not yet been enacted.

States Without Statewide Requirements

These states do not currently have a statewide law or policy governing student cell phone use, leaving decisions to local school districts.

South Dakota

• Summary: A bell-to-bell statewide ban, SB 198, was defeated in March 2026 when lawmakers and state education officials argued that cell phone regulation should remain under the authority of local school boards.

School Cell Phone Policy Toolkit

Looking for implementation resources? Explore School Security Leadership's free Cell Phone Policy Toolkit, featuring a real district's student cell phone policy, student discipline matrix, and parent communication letter.