The Ohio Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would prohibit almost all cell phone use by students during the school day starting in September 2025.
It passed the Senate nearly unanimously with members of both political parties lamenting the constant distraction of phones for students and what that might do to their developing psyches. Sen. Jane Timken, a Canton-area Republican, said the “unprecedented” rise in the use of cell phones has led to increased anxiety and depression rates and decreased academic performance and socialization. It’s time, she said, to “unplug our children from the constant flow of distractions.”
The bill passed 30-2, with two Democrats in opposition.
The measure must still pass the House. But Gov. Mike DeWine has prioritized the issue, part of a bigger agenda aimed at limiting Ohioans’ screen time when they’re driving a car or sitting in class. And House Speaker Matt Huffman has called it a “great idea,” indicating a high likelihood of the legislation passing in the coming months.
In 2023, Ohio soft pedaled a crackdown, requiring that all schools develop a policy on cell phones during the school day. The state offered a model policy calling for bans, but didn’t require it.
Since then, political tides have shifted toward bipartisan weariness of allowing a younger generation unfettered use of technology. President Joe Biden’s surgeon general called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects on young people and said schools should provide phone-free periods. President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he supports the concept. According to health policy analysts at KFF, 11 states have passed statewide policies restricting cell phone use in schools as of April 2024, though those policies vary in specifics.
Most Americans support phone bans in school
Broader society has largely followed. About seven in 10 Americans support phone bans in classrooms, although only about one-third of the public supports an all-day ban for students, according to October 2024 polling from Pew Research Center. At least half of respondents said they thought the policy would reduce distractions, foster better social skills for students, and reduce academic cheating. And 83% of teachers surveyed by the National Education Association, a major teachers’ union, said they support prohibiting cell phone use during the entire school day.
Jonathan Haidt, author of the bestselling and massively influential book “The Anxious Generation,” a sweeping critique of youth usage of smart phones and social media, wrote a letter to Ohio lawmakers in support of the policy. He cited studies finding that students receive an average of 237 notifications on their phone each day and spend an average of 90 minutes on their phone each school day.
What exceptions would be allowed?
The proposed Ohio law comes with narrow exceptions. School boards, if they deem it appropriate, could allow student phone use to assist in student learning or to monitor or address a health concern.
The bill also requires school administrators to come up with an emergency protocol to address student phone use during an active threat or emergency situation, which can allow students’ use of phones. However, some school officials warned that phone use can worsen emergency situations if students focus on their phones instead of removing themselves from danger.
Most school officials who testified before lawmakers supported the idea, though one criticized the state for seizing discretion from local officials. And some parents raised concerns that a phone ban would leave them unable to contact their child in the event of a school shooting or leave their child unable to call 911.
