One of the key figures who is credited with inspiring this movement is Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. In his book The Anxious Generation,published last year, Haidt makes the case that the rise in social media and cellphone use is a major factor behind what's making kids more anxious and depressed.
Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren't paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide "more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it." Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. This change has come remarkably quickly: Florida became the first state to pass such a law in 2023.