Last week on SDPB’s Teacher Talk, Gina Benz stated succinctly: Cell Phone Bans are Complicated. Researchers would agree. In our podcast conversation, I promised to follow up with a closer look at what the studies are beginning to tell us. The truth is, we don’t yet have robust research on what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to cell phone policies.
One of the people working to change that is Angela Lee Duckworth—someone whose work I’ve admired for a long time. Known for her research on grit and character, Duckworth is now turning her attention to how school cell phone policies shape learning environments. Alongside Stanford economists Matt Gentzkow and Hunt Allcott, she’s leading a national initiative called Phones in Focus, which surveys educators about their school’s phone policies and connects those responses to data on academic performance, attendance, and school climate. The aim is to move beyond opinion and into evidence, giving schools a clearer picture of what’s working and why.
What We’re Learning So Far – The research that does exist paints a complicated picture:
Brigette Whaley’s Texas Study: Brigette Whaley, an associate professor at West Texas A&M University, studied a Texas high school that implemented a full-day “bell to bell” phone ban using Yondr pouches. She found fewer classroom distractions and more face-to-face interaction among students. However, academic outcomes were mixed, and the success of the policy depended heavily on consistent enforcement and clear communication.
The Digital Wellness Lab Review: A review from the Digital Wellness Lab looked at multiple studies on smartphones in schools. Some findings were encouraging—reductions in media multitasking correlated with better test scores, and certain bans seemed to benefit students from low-income backgrounds. But other studies showed little to no academic change, often because the bans were short-lived or inconsistently applied. The review also noted that phones can be valuable learning tools when used intentionally.
Listening to Students: An article in The Atlantic offered another important perspective: students’ own voices. When asked what would get them off their phones, many said they wanted more opportunities for unstructured, in-person connection. They weren’t simply rejecting school rules—they were pointing to a deeper need for autonomy, outdoor play, and trust from adults. Students reported that they are not permitted to go out in public unsupervised, but they are allowed to play games like Roblox where they can talk to strangers online.
Moving Forward – If there’s one theme that emerges from all of this, it’s that there is no universal solution. Effective policies are:
- Clearly defined and consistently enforced
- Developed with student input
- Supported by educators who model balanced technology use
- Flexible enough to allow for intentional, educational uses of devices
- Needing more robust research studies to give a full perspective
Angela Duckworth’s Phones in Focus project is an important step toward grounding these decisions in research rather than assumption. As more data comes in, we’ll be better equipped to create policies that reflect not only what we hope to prevent, but also what we want to promote in our classrooms: focus, connection, and meaningful learning.
While she is still collecting data, Duckworth nodded to her research in her 2025 Penn GSE commencement address. In that speech, she spoke candidly about the limits of willpower when it comes to resisting the pull of our devices. Simply telling ourselves to “just focus” isn’t enough, she argued—especially when the phone is within arm’s reach. Instead, she encouraged graduates to think about situation modification: changing the environment so that temptation is less present in the first place. That idea alludes to what I assume her Phones in Focus data collection is beginning to reveal—that effective school cell phone policies aren’t about testing students’ self-control, but about designing learning spaces that make focus and connection the easier, more natural choice.
For educators interested in contributing to this growing body of knowledge, you can take the Phones in Focus survey on the project’s website.
The views and opinions expressed on Teacher Talk are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of South Dakota.
