Something amazing is happening in U.S. schools — at least, the ones that have banned student cell phones for the duration of the school day. And it’s not just visible on report cards, although one new study shows “significantly improved student test scores” in Florida following its ban on student cell phones. It’s also visible in the classrooms, in the lunch rooms and on the playgrounds.
Students are bringing board games to lunch. They’re having conversations with their classmates. They’re playing flag football. They report less stress, less bullying and more engagement with their peers. Teachers have more control over the class room and absences have even decreased. The teachers, parents, and students we’ve talked to agree — the cell phone ban we and our colleagues passed in the Texas Legislature — House Bill 1481 — helps students.
Who could be against that? North East ISD is resisting the Legislature and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to keep cell phones in the hands of students.
Although state law requires policies to prohibit student phone use during the school day, the North East ISD school board has taken a different approach. The San Antonio Express-News reports, “The area districts decided to define the school day as the time when students receive classroom instruction. That means students can use their phones and other personal communication devices, such as during lunchtime, passing periods, restroom breaks and other non-instructional time on campus.”
School officials say they’re attempting to strike “a balance between minimizing class disruptions and addressing community concerns.”
But the evidence is both clear and abundant – cell phones are a distraction, and often a danger, to students. A study published last year by the National Bureau of Economic Research noted that “smartphone and social media use among children and adolescents is on the rise across the globe. 90 percent of teenagers in OECD countries report that they own a smartphone and 20 percent report that they use their smart phones for more than 6 hours every day. At the same time as the rapid increase in youth smartphone ownership and use, incidents of depression and anxiety among adolescents have soared.”
Parents and even students themselves support a cell phone ban that lasts throughout the school day. The University of Southern California published a study last month showing that “76% of teens and 93% of parents said they support some type of ban.” Those numbers aren’t enough to sway North East officials. The North East school board just voted to spend $50,000 to $100,000 or more to fight the new cell phone ban in court. Money that could be spent on furthering educational outcomes, rather than fighting to hinder them.
Some of those officials attempt to frame it as a parental rights issue; parents gave their children cell phones; “I am not going to step between a parent and a child,” school board trustee Diane Sciba Villarreal said.
But that’s deliberately missing the point. Cell phone bans put parents back in the driver’s seat.
Here’s just one example. We have spoken to parents who were relieved that on Sept. 10, 2025, when they picked up their children from school, those children hadn’t already seen the awful video of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Because their schools had bans in place, their children hadn’t been exposed to the violence — and the vitriol — that poured forth on that day. Those parents were able to talk to their kids about it themselves.
The legislation is clear. Personal communication devices must be put away during the entire school day while on school property. Phone-free schools bring a wide range of benefits, and when the law isn’t followed, students miss out on the full advantages of a distraction-free learning environment.
It’s time for all schools to follow the rules, and ban smart devices all day long.
Caroline Fairly is the State Representative for Texas’ House District 87, serving Carson, Hansford, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Potter, and Sherman counties. She is the primary author of HB 1481.
Ellen Troxclair is the State Representative for Texas’ House District 19, serving Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Kendall, and Travis counties. She is a mom of three school-aged children and an advocate for child safety through phone-free schools.
This opinion piece was originally published in the San Antionio Express-News.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: The unexpected benefits of student cell phone bans | OPINION
Reporting by By Reps. Caroline Fairly and Ellen Troxclair, Special to the Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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