Smart Phone Ban is a Smart Move

Growing up, I could never have dreamed of a day when students would come to school with an entire set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica in their pocket. Back then, the charge to do a report on any particular topic included a trip to the library to navigate the Dewey Decimal system and find a collection of books on your chosen subject. For me, this often included an encyclopedia or two. The idea that all the information in all those books (and infinitely more!) information is at one’s fingertips in the modern
smart phone still boggles my mind sometimes. But, the access to that information came with a lot more-social media apps, games, apps for shopping, and limitless distractions and other ways to use one’s time.

Student access to cell phones has included significant disruptions to classroom instruction, decreased student attention spans, and increased mental health challenges, such as anxiety and reduced in-person social skills (Institute of Education Sciences). Other major concerns are cyberbullying, cheating, and recording fights or inappropriate videos. This is a serious additional burden to our students!

Of course, smart phone access isn’t all bad. Let’s go back to that report that a student needs to write. How amazing, and what a time saver, to be able to search your topic and have access to tomes of information on the subject, in a matter of seconds! Students now could have the first page of their report written before I would have been done with the card catalog. But it will be worth seeing how this “bell-to-bell ban” is worth trying for our students’ ability to concentrate in school.

Let’s take a look at some of the key points from the Utah Legislature:

Key Points of SB 69 (2026):

• Expanded Scope: The policy shifts from banning devices only during instructional time to prohibiting them during the entire school day, from the opening bell to the closing bell.
• "Bell-to-Bell" Ban: Students must keep devices away (e.g., in lockers or backpacks) during lunch, recess, and passing periods.
• Emergency Exceptions: Phones can be used in emergencies, such as a school-wide crisis or threats to health/safety.
• Parent Accommodations: The bill requires schools to allow parents to request exceptions for brief device usage during non-instructional time in specific, designated areas.
• Scope of Devices: The restrictions apply to smartphones, smartwatches, and similar personal technology.
• Goal: Supported by Gov. Spencer Cox, the initiative aims to increase student engagement, improve mental health, and reduce bullying.
• Local Control: While it sets a state standard, it allows local education agencies (LEAs) to impose further restrictions. 

I think our lawmakers are on to something with this bill, as are most of the states in the union, now. We have had enough time, and enough research has been done, to clearly see some of the very negative effects of constant access to smart phones on our youth. Since our schools are places for learning, this is a great place to learn how to live without a smart phone. I for one, would love to see those encyclopedias dusted off (if only proverbially) and students given the time to dive back into hard cover books. Who knows, maybe it’s even time to bring back the card catalog?