Cellphone ban in schools — the policy in NYS — favored by adults worldwide, Stony Book study finds

Four months after New York State’s school cellphone ban went into effect, a new study found parents across the globe want the smart devices kept out of classrooms.

In a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, Renaissance School of Medicine and Stony Brook University professor Lauren Hale and her colleagues found more than 75% of adult respondents in 35 countries supported smartphone bans in school.

The team analyzed data from UNESCO's 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, which surveyed the opinions of more than 35,000 adults between June 12 and July 11, 2023.

The survey interviewed both parents and nonparents. Hale and her team found that worldwide, parents were more supportive of a ban on smartphones in schools than nonparents.

"Nonparents aren't thinking about what's happening in the classroom," Hale said. "But those who are familiar with it ... think that this should be of concern."

About 71% of parents surveyed in the United States — which ranked 31st out of the 35 countries — support smartphone bans in schools.

France, with 89% of parents in support, topped the list, followed by Bangladesh and Italy.

The published letter comes almost halfway through the school year, in which a statewide ban took effect prohibiting the use of smartphones from bell-to-bell. 

The prohibition aims to minimize distraction and improve students’ mental health, Gov. Kathy Hochul has said. New York is one of 31 states with some type of smartphone ban policy in schools.

The letter’s findings build upon a previous study by Hale, published in February, that found adolescents spent 1½ hours, or a quarter of their average school day, on smartphones. About 25% of the 300 adolescents surveyed spent more than two hours on their phones during the school day.

Social media use accounted for most of that time, Hale said.

Compared to white students, Black students and those from low-income households were found to engage with smartphones for 12 to 20 minutes more during school hours.

"Both of these studies are consistent with a growing concern among parents, teachers and policymakers to address digital distraction during the school day," Hale said. "And these types of studies are leading to actual policy change that, anecdotally ... [are] leading to better outcomes for youth."

Newsday previously reported that after the cellphone ban took effect, educators said they noticed a positive change in school, with students more engaged during class and social with one another.

Farmingdale High School Principal Jed Herman told Newsday in October he noticed students playing board games during lunch, talking more among themselves and more likely to make eye contact.

"It’s been really nice," he told Newsday. "Kids have really transitioned well to the change."