OKLAHOMA CITY — A movement to limit cellphone use in schools has gained momentum and bipartisan support in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Lawmakers believe banning devices could be a way to boost failing education numbers in the state. But some parents wonder if the move could come at the cost of student safety.
“I understand the problem,” said Cindy Higgins, a mom of four. With four children in two different schools, she said she also knows “lockdowns, fights and school shootings are also a reality.”
“My child needs to be able to contact me directly, that they are safe and OK.”
Higgins, a former teacher, said she wants to know safety measures will still be in place so she can get in touch with her children in case of an emergency. She doesn’t want the burden to be on the teachers.
“They’ve got enough to worry about already,” she said. “I hope we aren’t going to give them one more thing to take care of.”
Both the state House and Senate have advanced separate measures targeting cellphone and smartwatch use during school hours. Lawmakers argue that such restrictions are necessary to minimize distractions, boost academic performance and address concerns about the effects of digital media on adolescent mental health.
House Bill 1276, dubbed “Bell to Bell, No Cell,” and authored by Republican state Rep. Chad Caldwell, would require school districts to adopt policies that prohibit students’ usage of cellphones and other personal electronic devices on school grounds. However, a section of the bill offers a way for districts to opt out of implementing a cellphone ban or restriction.
Caldwell’s proposal is a broader approach to the issue as it would require all school boards to establish cellphone policies before the start of the next school year. Schools can opt out, but that decision would need to be revisited and approved annually.
If passed, the bill would take effect July 1 and apply to the 2025-26 school year.
Two bills are working there way through the Oklahoma legislature currently that would restrict cellphone use for students during the school day. Photo by Nate Billings for the PBS NewsHour
Republican state Sen. Ally Seifried, who authored a similar bill in the Senate, said she’s heard from superintendents, principals and teachers alike that they are struggling to keep student attention off their screens and on their lessons.
“The behavioural issues are unmanageable, and [teachers] can’t handle this anymore,” she said, adding that the state also has a teacher shortage. “We are asking them to police behaviours, manage a classroom and increase our academic outcomes because as we all know Oklahoma does not shine bright in that area.”
Removing phones would improve education results, she added.
The Oklahoma Senate Education Committee held an interim study in October to hear expert analysis of the effects of social media and smartphones on children and teenagers.
The American Psychological Association issued a first-ever advisory in 2023 over young people’s use of social media, noting how excessive phone use can exacerbate and cause certain mental health problems.
Mitch Prinstein, a chief science officer at the APA who was consulted for the Oklahoma Senate interim study, said a number of factors including social media pressures and cyberbullying are linked to a rising youth mental health crisis that has seen depression, anxiety and suicides increase since the birth of social media.
Printstein believes that a unified restriction of phone access during the school day could help alleviate some of those stresses
“When one kid isn’t allowed to check their phone during the day that can increase that stress or anxiety,” he said. “When an entire school isn’t allowed, that can make them feel better.
What restrictions are being proposed?
Several Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing for a “bell to bell restriction.” Republican state Sen. Adam Pugh said at the interim study session that he hears from teachers and even business leaders that they are concerned about students not developing their interpersonal skills because they are on their phones all the time.
Creating a phone-free space at school will help students reconnect with one another, he added.
“If I was just able to wave a magic wand and say, ‘What do I think the best policy going forward is? It would be to have cellphones out of the classrooms for sure and probably off school grounds,’” Pugh said.
Seifried said one of her proposals amounts to a stricter ban that would prohibit cellphone use throughout the entire school day.
Seifried said such a ban would help raise the educational standards of Oklahoma. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 report ranked Oklahoma 49th in education, based on factors like proficiency scores and high school graduation rates.
“I knocked on doors and I promised people when I was running that I would do everything I could to help fix our schools,” Seifried said. “Eliminating these distractions helping improve the learning environment is a step everyone can get behind.”
Several school districts in Oklahoma have already implemented cellphone restrictions with various levels of success. Pocola Public Schools, which is in the far eastern part of the state, enacted an all-day phone ban at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
Superintendent Jeremy Jackson said teachers and staff have already reported significant improvements in morale and student attentiveness.
Teachers felt empowered to teach and felt they were supported during the implementation of the restrictions, Jackson said during the interim study.
“We’ve seen decreased discipline, decreased fighting, and the vandalism that was experienced last year to restrooms and things like that has also decreased,” he added. “When we start talking about school culture there is a huge positive impact.”
Oklahoma Union Public Schools, in the northeastern part of the state, adopted a more moderate policy, requiring students to leave their phones in lockers but grant them access during passing periods. Superintendent Brenda Taylor said that while more than half of surveyed parents and students supported restrictions, some families raised concerns about limiting communication.
That’s exactly what’s troubling Andrea Manning, a mother of an 11-year-old and 18-year-old in Oklahoma City and nearby Moore Public Schools.
Her kids go to different schools in different districts, which is hard enough already. Varying start and end times for classes add to the complication. If she wasn’t able to communicate with her children during the day about their schedules and whether they were needing a ride home, she’d be driving all over the city.
“I can’t afford the gas or the time to be doing that,” she said. “Everyone gets the idea that phones are distracting, but it’s also the age we live in and we need to be able to communicate with our kids. Isn’t that part of learning too?”
Why schools across the country are banning cellphones
The push to limit cellphone use in schools is supported by growing research indicating that digital devices contribute to academic struggles and mental health challenges.
The National Center for Education Statistics found that 77 percent of U.S. schools have policies that prohibit cellphone use for non-academic purposes. However, enforcement remains inconsistent, and many students continue to use their devices throughout the school day. In the past two years, at least eight states have enacted statewide bans.
Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University, stressed the importance of schoolwide policies during the interim study, saying the issue can’t be left to individual parents or teachers.
“Schools should ban smartphones from the top down,” she said. “This can’t be left up to individuals, parents or even teachers. It really needs to be a school-wide policy from the moment kids get to school until the moment they leave.”
The national push for school cellphone bans is buoyed by bipartisan support. Arkansas and California both passed restrictions since August.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy also wrote that schools should make sure classroom learning and social time are phone-free experiences and said that concept should extend beyond the school day, recommending parents adopt phone-free time around bedtime, family dinner and social experiences to “safeguard their kids’ sleep and real-life connections.”
What’s next
As the measures continue through the state Legislature, there are questions on how such regulations would be implemented, should they be approved and signed by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.
In a state where lawmakers have championed parental rights and passed laws giving parents the right to choose which schools their children can attend, some lawmakers are hesitant to introduce a blanket statement law for the entire public education system.
“There’s no flexibility,” Democratic Sen. Mark Mann said of the Senate proposal. “Not all school districts are the same and I’m a huge believer in local control. I think our boards of education are fully capable of developing these policies and implementing them.”
That’s where Cindy Higgins sees a problem with placing the responsibility of forming and enforcing these policies with the education system. As a former educator, she knows teachers already have their hands full, even to get students to sign their name on their homework.
She doesn’t want them to have to be the “phone police,” too.
