Sources · Phones in schools
This house would ban smartphones in schools.
Fact bank v1 · 12 cards
- SPH-01True
“A study in England found that banning phones in schools raised exam results, especially for the lowest-achieving pupils.”
Confirmed: Beland and Murphy's study of schools in England found exam results improved after phone bans for lower-achieving pupils. Top pupils were not helped or harmed.
This was the first major study of school phone bans. It looked at bans brought in up to 2012. When researchers ran the same kind of study with 1,086 schools in Sweden, they found no improvement in results. So the English result is real, but other countries have not always seen the same gains.
“The authors reported an improvement in student academic performance among lower-achieving students following the ban”
Journal of Behavioral Addictions (open-access article on PubMed Central)·"Phones off while school's on": Evaluating problematic phone use and the social, wellbeing, and academic effects of banning phones in schools (Journal of Behavioral Addictions)Government / parliament · 21 Oct 2024 ↗ - SPH-02Mixed
“Banning phones in schools doesn't improve exam results.”
It depends on the study. Some found no change in results, like a study of 1,086 schools in Sweden and a 2025 study of 30 secondary schools in England. Others found gains, like an earlier study in England (mostly for struggling pupils) and a Florida study in the second year of a ban.
A 2024 study from South Australia summed up the research: bans seem to have either no clear effect, or small effects that show up only for some groups of pupils and only over longer periods. Studies differ a lot in where they took place, how they were done and how strict the bans were, which makes them hard to compare.
“mobile phone bans appear to have either no detectable effects or relatively subtle effects detected only in certain subgroups over longer periods of time”
Journal of Behavioral Addictions (open-access article on PubMed Central)·"Phones off while school's on": Evaluating problematic phone use and the social, wellbeing, and academic effects of banning phones in schools (Journal of Behavioral Addictions)Government / parliament · 21 Oct 2024 ↗Further sources for this card
- The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (open-access article on PubMed Central) · School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study ↗
- National Bureau of Economic Research · The Impact of Cellphone Bans in Schools on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Florida (NBER Working Paper 34388) ↗
- SPH-03Mostly true
“When Florida banned phones in schools, test scores went up and pupils missed less school.”
Mostly right, with limits. A study of one large Florida school district, one of the ten biggest in the US, found test scores rose in the second year of the ban, not the first. Days missed without a good reason also went down. But suspensions went up in the first year.
That district made pupils keep phones silenced and put away for the whole school day, including lunch. In the second year the ban raised end-of-year test scores by 1.1 percentile points. In middle and high schools, nearly half of the gain could be explained by pupils missing fewer days without a good reason. The study, by David Figlio and Umut Özek, is a 2025 working paper and has not yet been peer reviewed.
“we find significant improvements in student test scores in the second year of the ban after that initial adjustment period”
National Bureau of Economic Research·The Impact of Cellphone Bans in Schools on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Florida (NBER Working Paper 34388)Independent research institute · 1 Oct 2025 ↗ - SPH-04Mostly true
“Phone bans get more pupils suspended, and some groups of pupils are hit harder than others.”
Mostly right, at least at first. In a large Florida school district, suspensions went up in the first year of the ban, especially for Black students. In the second year the rise mostly faded.
Researchers found the ban raised suspension rates by 12% and in-school suspensions by about 20% in the first year. Black students and boys were hit harder: in-school suspensions for Black students rose by about 30%. In the second year, the ban led to fewer suspensions in primary schools, while middle and high schools stayed a bit higher but were improving. The study is a working paper and has not yet been peer reviewed.
“the enforcement of cellphone bans in schools led to a significant increase in student suspensions in the short-term, especially among Black students”
National Bureau of Economic Research·The Impact of Cellphone Bans in Schools on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Florida (NBER Working Paper 34388)Independent research institute · 1 Oct 2025 ↗ - SPH-05Mixed
“School phone bans don't make pupils' mental health any better.”
The evidence so far is mixed. A big 2025 study of 1,227 pupils at 30 secondary schools in England found no difference in wellbeing between schools that ban phones and schools that allow them. But a study in Norway found girls needed less mental health care after their schools banned phones.
In the English study, pupils at the 20 ban schools spent 0.67 hours less on phones during school time, but no less across a whole weekday or at weekends. Their anxiety, depression, sleep and school results were no different either. Pupils who spent more time on phones and social media overall did have worse mental health. That study compared schools at one point in time, so it cannot prove cause and effect. Dutch researchers who looked at all the studies say the evidence on wellbeing is still thin and mixed.
“There is no evidence that restrictive school policies are associated with overall phone and social media use or better mental wellbeing in adolescents.”
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (open-access article on PubMed Central)·School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study (The Lancet Regional Health - Europe)Government / parliament · 4 Feb 2025 ↗ - SPH-06Unsupported
“Banning phones for the whole school day, including breaks and lunch, works better than banning them only in lessons.”
There is no good evidence for this yet. A 2026 study of 1,398 pupils at 24 Dutch secondary schools found pupils at whole-day ban schools were no happier and no less bullied than pupils at schools that only banned phones in lessons.
In that study, pupils at whole-day ban schools felt less connected to their teachers, and girls felt less like they belonged at school. Pupils at whole-day ban schools were less likely to report 3 hours or more of screen time in their free time, though the researchers say some may have counted school breaks as free time. The study compared schools at one point in time, so it cannot prove the bans caused any of this. The researchers said there is no proof yet that stricter bans work better, and an English study also found no differences between types of ban. A Florida district with an all-day ban saw test scores rise in its second year, but that study did not compare all-day and lesson-only bans.
“No significant differences were found for any of the well-being or bullying outcomes.”
Journal of Youth and Adolescence (open-access article on PubMed Central)·Disconnect To Reconnect: How Variations between Types of Smartphone Bans Influence Students' Well-being and Social Connectedness in Dutch Secondary Education (Journal of Youth and Adolescence)Government / parliament · 7 Jan 2026 ↗ - SPH-07Mixed
“Banning phones in school cuts bullying.”
The evidence is mixed. Some newer research suggests bullying at school goes down after phone limits, but two older studies found more online bullying at schools with phone rules.
In two regions of Spain, an earlier study found reported bullying fell by 15 to 18% among 12 to 17 year olds after bans. In South Australia, bullying fell between June and August 2023 both at schools that had just brought in a ban and at schools that already had one, so the ban did not seem to be the reason. In the Netherlands, schools with whole-day bans and schools with lesson-only bans had the same levels of bullying and online bullying. A lot of online bullying happens when pupils are not at school, so a school ban may only do so much.
“there is emerging evidence that bullying at school seems to decrease after implementation of smartphone restrictions”
Journal of Youth and Adolescence (open-access article on PubMed Central)·Disconnect To Reconnect: How Variations between Types of Smartphone Bans Influence Students' Well-being and Social Connectedness in Dutch Secondary Education (Journal of Youth and Adolescence)Government / parliament · 7 Jan 2026 ↗ - SPH-08Mostly true
“Phones distract pupils in lessons and drag down their marks.”
Mostly right. Across OECD countries, about 30% of pupils said they get distracted using digital devices in most or every maths lesson. Pupils who got distracted that often scored 15 points lower in maths than those who almost never did, even after taking their family and school background into account.
This shows a link, not proof that devices caused the lower marks, and the survey asked about digital devices in general, not only phones. Pupils were less likely to say they got distracted by devices at schools that ban phones. In the US, 72% of high school teachers call phone distraction a major problem in class, compared with 33% of middle school and 6% of elementary (primary) school teachers.
“around 30% of students, on average across OECD countries, reported that, in most or every mathematics lesson, they get distracted using digital devices”
OECD·From data to insights: PISA 2022 Results (Volume II)Intergovernmental body · 5 Dec 2023 ↗ - SPH-09Mixed
“Phone bans don't work because pupils just ignore them.”
Partly true. Many pupils do break the rules: across OECD countries, 30% of pupils at schools that ban phones said they used a smartphone several times a day, and 21% said they used one at school every day or almost every day. But pupils at ban schools were less likely to say they got distracted in lessons.
The OECD says phone bans are not always enforced well. In England in 2025, 58% of secondary pupils said phones were used when they shouldn't be in at least some lessons in the past week, but only 21% of secondary teachers said so. In the US, 30% of teachers whose schools have phone rules say they are hard to enforce, rising to 60% of high school teachers.
“30% of students in schools where the use of cell phones is banned reported using a smartphone several times a day”
OECD·From data to insights: PISA 2022 Results (Volume II)Intergovernmental body · 5 Dec 2023 ↗ - SPH-10Mixed
“Just having your phone nearby, even switched off, drains your brainpower.”
Only partly backed up. A review of 22 studies found that using phones or having them nearby had a harmful effect overall, but it was clear only for memory, not for attention. A careful repeat of the famous 2017 'brain drain' experiment found that where the phone was made no difference.
The review found a clear effect in studies from Asia, but not in studies from Europe or North America. It pooled studies of using phones with studies of just having them nearby. The repeat experiment put phones on the desk, in a pocket or bag, or in another room, and where the phone was made no difference to scores. The review's authors said phones are best kept away from pupils while they are learning, and that children should also learn how to deal with the distraction phones can cause.
“A subgroup analysis suggests that not all cognitive domains are equally affected by the negative effect of smartphones.”
Behavioral Sciences (open-access article on PubMed Central)·Does the Brain Drain Effect Really Exist? A Meta-Analysis (Behavioral Sciences)Government / parliament · 11 Sept 2023 ↗Further sources for this card
- SPH-11Mixed
“Most people don't want phones banned for the whole school day.”
True for teenagers, but no longer for US adults. In 2026, 48% of US adults backed all-day school phone bans and 43% opposed them, the first time Pew found more support than opposition. In 2024 it was 36% for and 53% against.
Far more US adults, 77%, support banning phones during lessons. Teenagers see it differently: in a 2025 survey, 17% of US teens supported an all-day ban and 73% opposed it. Young adults are less keen too, with 28% of 18 to 29 year olds backing all-day bans. These polls are of people in the US, not the UK.
“About half of U.S. adults (48%) back “bell-to-bell” school cellphone bans for middle and high school students, up from 36% in 2024.”
Pew Research Center·More Americans now support than oppose all-day school cellphone bansIndependent research institute · 29 Jul 2026 ↗Further sources for this card
- SPH-12Mostly true
“England has already banned phones in schools for the whole school day.”
Mostly right. Since 29 June 2026, official government guidance has told schools in England to stop phone use all day, including breaks and lunch, and schools are expected to follow it from 1 September 2026. It allows exceptions, and headteachers choose how to do it, for example with lockers or by having pupils hand phones to staff.
Exceptions include pupils who need a phone for a disability or a medical condition, such as checking blood sugar for diabetes. Sixth-formers may get limited use, and the guidance does not cover sixth-form colleges. It applies to England only. Even before this, a 2025 survey found 90% of secondary schools and 99.8% of primary schools already stopped phone use during the school day, but only 3.5% of secondary schools banned phones from school completely.
“All schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default; anything other than this should be by exception only.”
GOV.UK (Department for Education)·Mobile phones in schools (statutory guidance)Government / parliament · 29 Jun 2026 ↗Further sources for this card
- GOV.UK (Department for Education) · Mobile phones in schools (guidance landing page: statutory from 29 June 2026, who it applies to) ↗
- Children's Commissioner for England · Press Notice: Most headteachers restrict mobile phones in school hours - but major new survey shows online harms still among their biggest concerns ↗
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