Studies on School Cellphone Bans: Mixed Results and Ongoing Debates

In recent years, student achievement has stagnated globally as cellphones have become ubiquitous. Educators are responding by...

May 25, 2026

In recent years, the widespread use of cellphones among Gen Z and Gen Alpha has coincided with stagnant or declining global student achievement, according to a global study. Educators worldwide, from Florida to Sweden, are increasingly restricting cellphone use during school hours.

However, research on cellphone bans offers mixed results. While some studies, including two significant ones from the U.S., suggest modest academic benefits from restrictions, others show little to no impact on test scores despite reduced phone use. Results differ by demographics, with some low-achieving students or specific groups seeing benefits, while others don’t.

Cultural differences might explain the varying effectiveness of cellphone bans. Education reforms often yield diverse outcomes based on location. Additionally, studying the real-world impact of cellphone bans poses challenges.

Ideal research would involve random assignments of students to cellphone restrictions, akin to clinical trials. Only one study in India has achieved this, showing notable improvement in grades for lower-achieving college students.

Most research relies on real-world comparisons. A national study by Stanford, Duke, and other universities analyzed over 40,000 U.S. schools using Yondr’s magnetic pouches for phones. It found a 30% drop in phone activity but negligible effects on test scores, attendance, and bullying.

These findings contrast with a Florida study showing slight academic gains a year after 2023’s statewide restrictions. Florida’s researchers compared schools with historically high phone use to those with low use before the ban.

The Florida study’s minor academic improvements, primarily seen in the second year post-ban, highlight differences in methodologies. Despite discrepancies, both U.S. studies noted initial disciplinary increases, followed by stability and nonacademic benefits like improved school climate.

Internationally, results vary. A 2016 English study showed cellphone bans improved low-achievers’ scores, while a 2020 Swedish study found no significant benefits, possibly due to Sweden’s longstanding classroom technology integration.

Research in Spain, Norway, Brazil, and India shows varied academic benefits from cellphone bans, with India’s study revealing notable gains due to minimized digital distractions.

U.S. schools may still face digital distractions from laptops and tablets, even with cellphone bans. Technology affects students’ sleep, study habits, and attention spans outside school hours, impacting achievement.

David Figlio, lead author of the Florida study, suggests that cellphones might still significantly impact student achievement despite bans not dramatically reversing this. Tom Dee, a Stanford researcher, urges schools to continue refining cellphone policies.

“We should just continue to iterate, which is something we do too infrequently in education policy,” Dee said. “Let’s not move on to the next fad or the next flavor of the day. This issue is too important for us not to stay in the fight to try to figure out how to manage our children’s use of digital devices responsibly.”

Cellphone ban studies

Location and link to paper	Students	Study design	Outcome
United States (2026 draft)	Middle and high school	Compared changes in student outcomes at schools that required students to use locked pouches with similar schools that didn’t. Staggered timing of cellphone restrictions.	Well-being went up in later years, but there were near zero improvements in test scores even after three years. High schoolers saw a slight improvement in test scores, but middle schoolers experienced negative academic effects.
Florida school district (2025 draft)	Elementary, middle and high school	Compared students at schools that had high cellphone usage against those that had low cellphone usage after Florida’s statewide restrictions went into effect in 2023. Measures the effects of the ban across schools with different starting amounts of cellphone use.	Disciplinary incidents rose initially, then subsided. Test scores improved slightly in year two, especially for boys.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2026 draft)	Middle school	Compared schools that previously permitted cellphones against those that had strict cellphone restrictions after municipal ban on cellphones in school went into effect in 2023. Measures the effects of the ban across schools with different starting amounts of cellphone use.	Small increase in test scores.
India (2025 draft)	University	Compared students who had been randomly assigned to relinquish their phones before each lecture with students that didn’t have restrictions. This randomized controlled trial was conducted at 10 different higher-education institutes (similar to universities) involving 17,000 students in Odisha, a large state in eastern India.	Higher grades, particularly for lower performing students.
Norway (2026)	Middle school	Compared student outcomes before and after schools decided to adopt cellphone bans. Staggered timing of bans.	Only girls experienced improved grades and better mental health.
Spain (2022)	Middle school	Compared changes in test scores in two regions that banned cellphones in school in 2015 with similar regions that didn’t ban phones.	Higher test scores and reductions in bullying.
Sweden (2020)	High school	Compared student performance in schools that restricted cellphones with those that didn’t.	No benefits for students.
England (2016)	High school	Compared student performance in schools that restricted cellphones with those that didn’t.	Higher exam scores were concentrated among low-achieving students. No impact on high achievers.