The problem with the school smartphone debate - Harvard Gazette

"It categorized policies according to strictness, from outright bans to permitting students to bring a phone but not use it when school is in session. Of intermediate strictness are policies that allow students to bring smartphones to school but only use them outside of class. The least strict categories contain schools that allow phone use in the classroom at the teacher's discretion and include schools that have no cellphone policy at all."

"The survey found that 96.68 percent of public schools have some sort of cellphone policy. Elementary schools are the most restrictive, with 6.79 percent having a "no phones at school" policy and another 81.62 percent mandating "no phone use while school is in session." Middle schools are a bit less strict, with about 75 percent allowing phones but banning their use while school is in session and about 15 percent allowing phones for use only outside of class time."

A national survey of public-school principals conducted in October 2024 for the 2024–2025 school year found that nearly all U.S. public schools have policies regulating student smartphone use. Policies were categorized by strictness, ranging from outright bans to allowing phones brought to school but not used during the school day, permitting use only outside class, or allowing classroom use at teacher discretion. Overall 96.68 percent of schools reported a cellphone policy. Elementary schools are typically most restrictive, middle schools moderately restrictive, and high schools least restrictive, raising questions about enforcement consistency.

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