School cellphone bans are sweeping the nation, and with a state Senate bill waiting for a vote, Pennsylvania may be the next state to act.

The Senate Education Committee convened Tuesday for a hearing with educators, policymakers and even students to discuss the practicality and wisdom of taking tech out of kids’ hands throughout the school day.

With a mental health crisis among children and widespread reports from teachers exhausted by the task of policing students distracted by phones in the classroom, the question of “why” the state should ban phones in school needed little elaboration. There was strong consensus about the negative impacts of phones in schools.

The panelists talked about the stress and dysregulation students experience receiving constant notifications from smart devices throughout the day, the pressures of social media, and the threat of cyber bullying. They noted that teenagers especially find it all too easy to check out rather than engage in face-to-face social interactions.

There are downsides, however, to taking phones away. Parents have said that with the threat of school shootings and other emergencies, they want their kids to be able to contact them at any time. There are also always exceptions to be made, from 504 plans to translation apps to illness in the family.

Even with these concerns in mind, no one who spoke argued against some form of limitations on technology, including student testifiers. It’s the “how” that brought up differing viewpoints among experts and legislators.

Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, said she wasn’t prepared to enforce a full ban considering the importance of learning to live with cellphones in students’ future academic and professional lives. She highlighted some districts’ choice to limit younger students entirely while integrating technology into high school classrooms.

“Students may be going into spaces where they use them on the job and want to not be distracted by them,” Williams said. “We all have our phones up here, and there’s a way to use them that is appropriate.”

To that end, 425 of the state’s 500 school districts already have cellphone policies in place. Several testifiers argued for broad state policy that would allow local communities to have a voice in the shaping of cellphone bans. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association has developed policy guides that districts are able to adapt to suit their particular needs.

“Any legislation proposed or enacted needs to provide school entities with clear guidance on what is expected or required of them,” said Laura Morton, director of Policy Services at PSBA. “Legislation should also provide school entities with flexibility to allow locally elected school leaders to make decisions regarding electronic devices which best suit their school communities.”

Others advocate for a statewide “bell-to-bell” policy, meaning students are explicitly prohibited from using phones from the moment school begins till the moment it ends. Among them is the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the commonwealth’s largest public sector union.

“We are very eager to work with the prime sponsors and this committee to help make this a reality,” said PSEA President Aaron Chapin. “How possession is restricted, we do believe should be decided by the individual school entities.”

Methods used and proposed for those restrictions include everything from locked bags that students maintain in their possession to handing in cellphones to school staff in the morning and retrieving them at the end of the day. Each method has its pros, cons, and workarounds, which students have already demonstrated by breaking phones free or turning in spares while concealing a preferred device.

Early reports from states where bans have been enacted are mixed. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that Black students disproportionately received suspensions when Florida’s ban went into effect, but the numbers appear to have leveled out. The finding underscores potential disparities between how and why cellphones are used in different communities, further raising concerns about blanket rules.

On the other hand, Florida reported higher test scores and fewer unexcused absences since the ban. In fact, the state has expanded its prohibition to lower grade students since first issuing it. Ohio also moved from requiring local districts to develop restrictions to a statewide prohibition. New York has enacted a bell-to-bell ban, which began at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

As for the students? They are as aware as anyone about the pitfalls of school phone use, but, two testifying high school students agreed, they want to be part of the conversation.

Danville Area High School sophomore Atticus Mitchell told the committee, “I think that students should know that the government works for them — not at them — and that their thoughts really do matter within policymaking.”

By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square