What's happened
A National Bureau of Economic Research study tracking 4,600 schools has found that lockbox-style phone bans reduce in-class phone use, but do not yield clear gains in test scores or other non-academic outcomes. Disruptions drop after initial years, while well-being initially dips then recovers.
What's behind the headline?
Key takeaways
- The bans achieve a substantial reduction in in-school phone activity by the third year, according to GPS data and device pings.
- Academic outcomes, including test scores and attendance, show little to no improvement.
- Disciplinary actions rise in the first year but fade in subsequent years; student well-being declines initially and then rebounds.
- The results are presented as a “conservative lower bound” on actual device use, since data include adults on campus.
- Policymakers face a nuanced trade-off: disruption is reduced, but broader academic gains remain elusive. The long-term effects and implementation quality may determine whether bans become a durable reform.
- The research notes that teachers and parents often support bans, while students frequently oppose them, and that implementation varies by district.
How we got here
The study uses data from Yondr, a company providing magnetic lockable pouches, to track phone activity and school discipline across multiple cohorts starting in 2022. It builds on ongoing policy moves in several US states to restrict or ban phone use in schools.
Our analysis
The Guardian, The Independent, AP News, New York Times have all covered the National Bureau of Economic Research study on phone bans in schools, citing similar findings about reduced phone activity but mixed effects on academics and well-being. Direct quotes and attributions are provided in the linked articles.
Go deeper
- What are schools doing to mitigate initial disciplinary spikes?
- Will the long-term well-being rebound affect policy decisions?
- How do these findings compare with private or parochial schools with different enforcement models?
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