As children go back to school, countries are imposing smartphone bans

Schools across the globe are increasingly implementing or considering banning smartphones from classrooms to minimize distractions.

This September, students at Seattle’s Hamilton International Middle School are starting their academic year without phones in classrooms.

As part of a new program introduced this June, smartphones and other smart devices will be locked away in sealed pouches during the day. The school hopes that such an approach will improve student academic performance, engagement in class, and mental health.

Many schools across the US are considering similar measures. According to Education Week, at least 13 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cell phones in schools statewide or recommend restrictive policies.

This includes Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD), the second-largest public school district in the US, which decided to ban smartphone use starting January 2025. Until then, the LAUSD’s board will develop a new policy prohibiting the use of smartphones and social media.

Similar measures are being taken in Canada, Ontario, and Europe. Hundreds of schools in Belgium, the UK, France, Norway, and the Netherlands have already implemented smartphone bans or are conducting trials.

There are several reasons why countries are embracing this initiative. A study published by Norway's Department of Economics, which included more than 400 Norwegian middle schools, found that after the smartphone ban in the country, boys and girls experienced less cyberbullying.

In addition, the study showed that the ban significantly decreased the healthcare take-up for psychological symptoms and diseases among girls.

As for grades, after the ban, girls, especially in poorer families, demonstrated higher grades, while there weren’t significant changes regarding boys' marks.

Meanwhile, a survey of US teachers conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that many teachers see smartphone use as problematic.

72% of teachers say that students being distracted by phones is a major problem in their classroom, compared with 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers.

Last year, Unesco urged schools worldwide to ban smartphones. This year, discussion of a smartphone ban in the US was also sparked by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who, in a June article in The New York Times, reminded lawmakers of their responsibility to protect children from the harmful effects of social media.