As of 2025, 26 states along with the District of Columbia have enacted laws banning or restricting the use of cell phones in schools during the school day. Some of the states with active laws or executive orders that ban or restrict cell phone use in K-12 schools include:
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia (ban for grades K-8)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York (bell-to-bell ban starting 2025-2026 school year)
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Other states have laws that limit cell phone use in classrooms but may not have a full ban. The District of Columbia also has a bell-to-bell personal cell phone ban. This trend has accelerated since Florida was the first state to pass a law regulating cell phones in schools in 2023. Several other states passed their bans or restrictions mostly in 2024 and 2025. The bans typically prohibit use throughout the school day except for educational purposes or emergencies, and schools are often required to create policies for phone storage during class. Some states with pending legislation or policies under consideration include Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and others. Only a few states like Mississippi and Wyoming have not implemented any policies on cell phone use in schools as of 2025. In summary, more than half the US states have enacted or are actively pursuing bans or significant restrictions on student cell phone use in schools during the school day.
