When should schools ban cellphones

UW-Madison students from the La Follette School of Public Affairs developed research-based recommendations to help a K-12 district implement new policies.

Last year, Wisconsin joined 35 other states in requiring public school districts to adopt policies to limit cellphone use in K-12 schools for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. The measure, known as Act 42, passed with bipartisan support and gave districts a deadline of July 1 to develop their plans.

Graduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs viewed it as an opportunity to help inform public policy on a topic of growing concern for teachers, students and parents. Over the past year, they partnered with the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) to assess policy options under Act 42 and advise on a new device ban policy. The research team conducted comparative analysis of other adopted policies across the country, used MMSD disciplinary data and surveyed teachers, administration, family and students to produce its findings.

The researchers recommended a bell-to-bell ban for K-8 students, meaning that devices would be stowed away for the entire school day with no exception. They recommended a more nuanced approach for grades 9 to 12, with a classroom storage policy that would allow students to use their devices between classes and during lunch.

On June 22, the MMSD Board of Education adopted part of the La Follette students' proposal, including the full ban for K-8 students. For high schoolers, the school board opted for a stricter policy than proposed, with no wireless devices allowed during class, assemblies or passing periods. The one exception is open lunch.

Katie Campbell, who finished her M.P.A. degree in May, was one of the students from the La Follette School that worked on the policy recommendations. While considering a Ph.D. program at UW-Madison, she is continuing to advise MMSD on communication and policy around the new cellphone policy and working as an analyst with the Colorado Association of School Boards. Campbell, a mother of an 18- and 20-year-old, knows firsthand the effects cellphones have on young students and brought that knowledge and energy to this research. We caught up with her the morning after the MMSD Board of Education adopted its student cellphone ban policy.

What did you find most surprising when conducting your research?

Two things. First, the high school students did not push back as much as we thought they would. They didn't disagree that there needed to be rules, which surprised me.

The other thing that I found surprising was the lack of pushbacks from families. The headlines always talk about how parents want their kids to be available by phone when needed. But that is an assumption. We did not hear that at all. According to the data, 60-80% of the families were on board for some kind of formal ban.

Do you think the students wanted it? That part of them wanted the grown-ups to take their phones away during school?

I don't think they would verbalize it that way, but I agree with that statement. The data also indicated that most kids thought formal cellphone restrictions wouldn't change things much in the classroom anyway. That was also surprising to me.

And I assume that teachers were on board as well?

It did not surprise me at all that teachers wanted strict restrictions. They were done with trying to manage devices in the classrooms. That they were the bad guy. It's hard to manage something that isn't clearly defined. It is also hard to manage something that isn't seen as fair. For example, we analyzed data from MMSD disciplinary reports, and it reflected that there were inequities in how discipline was being allocated regarding cellphones. More disciplinary actions were taken against low-income Black and Latino students who were using their cellphones inappropriately in the classroom.

Last night, the MMSD school board adopted only part of your policy recommendations, choosing to be stricter for high school students. Did that disappoint you?

Even on our research team, we were constantly debating this. What are the benefits and drawbacks of allowing students to use their phones during passing periods? High school students have jobs. They volunteer. They have lives. But how will allowing a student to check email or socials for 5 to 10 minutes between classes affect the classroom? Will it be easier or harder to enforce? I can see why they adopted the policy the way they did.

Either way, this is going to be successful for MMSD. The data clearly show that with device restrictions attendance increases, attention in class increases, positive student relationships with each other increase, and student test scores increase.

I know you worked closely with the MMSD deputy superintendent, TJ McCray. How did he and the school board feel about the work you all did?

As far as I know, they were happy. I do not think they would have been able to accomplish the in-depth research and analysis that we completed on their own. They just did not have the money to hire a consultant to conduct the research. They did not have the staff to do it. And they did not have the time.

And this research was not only helpful to them. It is helpful to the state of Wisconsin. All Wisconsin public school districts had to adopt a policy by July 1, and this research and our recommendations are available to them as well.

What did you take away from this research personally?

My kids are 18 and 20. I see how integral cellphones are to them, and I wish I, as a parent, had stepped in and done more to restrict their use when they were younger. The data is surfacing some harsh truths about the mental health issues of our young people. These kids are emulating the ideal they see on their phones. They think that is who they have to be. We were not designed to look in the mirror as much as we do now.

My kids are now starting to realize that maybe they should put their phones away more often. Kids at 13 don't know this. So, they need adults to give them restrictions. And look, kids desire and have told us they want rules. But the rules have to be very clear and fair. That's why thoughtfully adopting policies like this is so important. ■

Learn more about La Follette School's device ban research, including from recent media coverage.