School policies banning student cell phone use during school hours has fluctuated over the years. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 91% of schools prohibited non-academic use of cell phones during the 2009-10 school year, but that dipped to 66% in 2015-16 and then rose back to 77% by 2019-20.
Teachers find it difficult at times to address students’ habits of glancing at their phones more frequently, which worsened during the height of COVID-19 and remote learning when students could use their smartphones more often and freely. However, these personal devices can also have curricular benefits such as allowing students to engage in live surveys or access content and data during a lesson.
