Schools Don’t Know How Well Cell Phone Policies Are Working. You Can Help.

Angela Duckworth, Matthew Gentzkow, and Hunt Allcott are leading the first nationwide survey on school phone policies.

Introduction from Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch:

Across the globe, schools are beginning to adopt the third norm of The Anxious Generation: phone-free schools. But countries, states, and individual schools are taking very different approaches. Some have implemented bell-to-bell policies (the better option), while others restrict use only during class time (which means students focus on their phones in between classes… and often in class as well). Some enforce the rules from the top down; others engage students and parents in the process. With so many variations—and such rapid implementation—we still know remarkably little about what’s actually happening on the ground, and we’re only beginning to understand the impact these changes may be having.

That’s why we’re thrilled about a new project led by a top research psychologist and two leading economists: Angela Duckworth (University of Pennsylvania), Matthew Gentzkow (Stanford), and Hunt Allcott (Stanford). With support from the National Governors Association, their team has launched a national survey—Phones in Focus (phonesinfocus.org)—to better understand how schools are taking action and what’s working. The team reached out to Jon in March to discuss the project. Zach met with Angela and quickly realized that this project would be of interest to many After Babel readers.

The survey is very short (under 5 minutes) and aims to reach every public school in the United States. Unlike other surveys, it also accounts for the different kinds of phone restrictions and will link school policies with objective student data (like standardized test scores). We think this survey (and the subsequent studies that emerge from it) will be of enormous importance and value to teachers, administrators, and legislators across the globe.

The team recently published an essay in Education Week outlining their goals, and they’re now inviting educators across the country to participate. If you’re a public school teacher or school leader, please take the survey and share it widely.

Below is a reprint of the Education Week essay, Schools Don’t Know How Well Cellphone Policies Are Working. You Can Help, published on April 8.

– Jon and Zach

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Schools Don’t Know How Well Cell Phone Policies Are Working. You Can Help.

By Angela Duckworth

Source: Shutterstock

In classrooms across America, educators face a daily dilemma that didn't exist when I was a teacher: what to do about student cell phones. Should they be collected at the classroom door? Stored in lockers? Allowed during lunch but not during class? Or perhaps banned from school buildings entirely?

The debate rages on–with strong opinions on all sides–but in my view, we're missing something critical: data on which policies work best and for whom. As a psychologist who studies motivation and self-control, I believe we need evidence, not just intuition, to guide these important decisions.

That's why starting today, educators can access Phones In Focus (phonesinfocus.org), a landmark survey of school phone policies across the nation. This non-partisan initiative has one simple aim: to provide educators with evidence-based recommendations for school phone policies that optimally support academic learning, healthy social relationships, and emotional well-being.

The Current Landscape: Mixed Evidence and Mounting Pressure

At present, the research on cell phone policies is surprisingly limited. Recent literature reviews highlight the shortcomings of existing studies, which often rely on cross-sectional snapshots of a small number of schools. A handful of quasi-experimental studies have yielded equivocal findings.

Meanwhile, the pressure to "do something" about phones in schools has intensified. State legislatures are increasingly mandating restrictions, with some requiring complete bans. In a recent poll conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, the majority of school leaders reported that cell phones have undermined academic performance, mental health, and attention span. The majority of educators surveyed by the National Education Association favor prohibiting phone use for the entire school day, with school-approved exceptions. Parents and students, on the other hand, have expressed mixed feelings. Many wish their schools were stricter than they are now, while others say they want to be able to communicate directly in case of emergencies.

But the common denominator of my conversations with all concerned is this: "Nobody really knows what is working and what isn't–and yet we need to make decisions about what to do."

Beyond Simple Bans: The Devil's in the Details

The public debate often frames the issue as a simple either-or choice: ban phones or allow them. But the reality is far more nuanced. Schools implement vastly different approaches, including but not limited to:

• Bell-to-bell bans with phones to be stored in the main office

• Partial bans permitting use during lunch and between classes

• Classroom-level management where teachers set individual rules

• "Away for the day" rules requiring phones remain out of sight at all times

• Technology pouches that lock phones during school hours

Of course, identical policies on paper can yield dramatically different results depending on how consistently they're enforced. I have yet to meet a state or district leader who has satisfying visibility into how educators and students are responding to their schools’ cell phone policies.

With such diversity in policies and their implementation, we desperately need systematic data on effectiveness.

How You Can Help: Take The Phones In Focus Survey Now

In order to get this right, we need the help of educators around the country. Take the Phones In Focus survey at phonesinfocus.org. Share what you know about your school's current and prior cell phone policies—and how consistently these policies have been enforced. By matching this information to existing longitudinal data on available outcomes (e.g., attendance, achievement tests, school climate surveys), we can identify which policies are associated with better outcomes.

All educators who complete the Phones in Focus survey, which takes no more than 5 minutes, will automatically receive–

• At the end of the survey, a real-time snapshot of how educators across the U.S. are answering the same questions

• Entry into a weekly raffle ($100 for the educator and a $100 donation to the school).

• Entry into a grand prize raffle: a gift basket that includes a $500 VISA gift card, a $500 donation to their school, signed copies of Grit and Carol Dweck’s Mindset, and an in-person personalized professional development workshop or in-person school assembly led by myself and my collaborators, Stanford economists Matt Gentzkow and Hunt Allcott.

In addition, all school leaders who successfully encourage at least 5 educators to complete the survey will be invited to an online, invitation-only professional development webinar on the science of self-regulation which I will host in fall 2025.

Moving Forward Together

School cell phone policies aren’t merely an administrative issue – it's about creating learning environments in which students can thrive both academically and socially. And it’s about giving educators a voice in the debate.

This April, as Phones In Focus surveys are distributed to schools nationwide, we have an unprecedented opportunity to gather the data needed for informed decisions. The findings will be available quickly – we aim to produce a map of policies by May 2025 and preliminary analyses by mid-July.

For too long, schools have navigated the cell phone challenge without adequate evidence–and policymakers have been challenged to make decisions with minimal input from the educators themselves. With mounting concerns about youth mental health and academic performance, we can no longer afford to guess which approaches work best. It's time to let data, not just debate, guide this critical conversation.