Do phone bans in schools improve learning?

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1. 1

   Ill Communication: Technology, distraction & student performance

   Labour Economics (Beland & Murphy)Published Apr 17, 2016Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Studying English schools that banned mobile phones, student test scores improved by about 6.4% of a standard deviation after a ban. Gains were concentrated among low-achieving students; there was no significant effect on high achievers.”

2. 2

   School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study

   The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (Goodyear et al.)Published Feb 4, 2025Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “We recruited 1227 participants (age 12-15) across 30 schools. Mean WEMWBS score was 47 (SD = 9) with no evidence of a difference between groups (adjusted mean difference -0.48, 95% CI -2.05 to 1.06, p = 0.62). Adolescents attending schools with restrictive, compared to permissive policies had lower phone (adjusted mean difference -0.67 h, 95% CI -0.92 to -0.43, p = 0.00024) and social media time (adjusted mean difference -0.54 h, 95% CI -0.74 to -0.36, p = 0.00018) during school time, but there was no evidence for differences when comparing usage time on weekdays or weekends. There is no evidence that restrictive school policies are associated with overall phone and social media use or better mental wellbeing in adolescents. The findings do not provide evidence to support the use of school policies that prohibit phone use during the school day in their current form, and indicate that these policies require further development.”

3. 3

   To Ban or Not to Ban? A Rapid Review on the Impact of Smartphone Bans in Schools on Social Well-Being and Academic Performance

   Education Sciences (Böttger & Zierer)Published Aug 20, 2024Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The meta-analysis yielded an overall effect size of d = 0.162 (p < 0.05). Smartphone bans have a significant, but modest, effect. This is more pronounced in the domain of social well-being than in the performance domain. Smartphone bans can reduce social problems, such as bullying. The small effect on academic performance might be due to the limited number of studies and effects. We recommend that smartphone bans be introduced in schools, accompanied by educational measures, and evaluated regularly. This can improve the social climate and reduce potential distractions in the classroom. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects on academic performance. The aim of a smartphone ban should be to prevent the misuse of these devices, for example, as a tool for bullying classmates, and to prevent their negative impact on learning processes. Alongside the bans, responsible use of the technology and an understanding of its potential should be taught. Ideally, a level of media literacy is achieved that makes a smartphone ban superfluous.”

4. 4

   Disconnect To Reconnect: How Variations between Types of Smartphone Bans Influence Students' Well-being and Social Connectedness in Dutch Secondary Education.

   Journal of youth and adolescence (Vanluydt et al.)Published Jan 7, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “However, there is currently no empirical evidence that stricter policies are more effective in achieving these intended benefits. The current study examined how variations in type of ban affect adolescents’ screentime, problematic social media use, well-being, social connectedness at school, and bullying. The sample consisted of Dutch adolescents from 24 schools (9 partial-ban schools and 15 full-ban schools) who participated in the 2024–2025 EPoSS Study (N = 1398; Mage = 16.2; SD = 1.2; 51.5% were female; 38.3% were in partial-ban schools and 61.7% in full-ban schools). No significant differences were found for any of the well-being or bullying outcomes. However, full bans were associated with lower student-teacher connectedness and, for girls, reduced school belonging. These findings indicate that stricter bans do not yield the intended benefits for students’ well-being or bullying and may even undermine students’ social connectedness at school.”

5. 5

   “Phones off while school's on”: Evaluating problematic phone use and the social, wellbeing, and academic effects of banning phones in schools

   Journal of Behavioral Addictions (King et al.)Published Oct 21, 2024Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Problematic phone use was reported by 2.6% of the sample. Being older and a more frequent user of social media predicted lower phone ban compliance. Linear mixed models indicated that ban and no ban school groups did not differ significantly in terms of problematic phone use, academic engagement, and school belonging. There was slightly higher bullying in the ban group but bullying decreased significantly in both groups. Discussion: Imposing access restrictions may not affect the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive problematic phone use. Although these results indicate limited to no short-term benefits of the ban, further evaluation with more sensitive methodologies is recommended. Student-technology interactions in learning institutions should be continually monitored to determine the optimal balance to support student etiquette, learning, and wellbeing.”

6. 6

   How school phone policies influence adolescent phone use and wellbeing (SMART Schools): a qualitative comparative case study

   Social Science & Medicine (Goodyear et al.)Published Mar 18, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “This qualitative comparative case study aimed to provide such explanatory data. Data were collected from 40 focus group interviews in 7 case study secondary schools in England (4 with permissive phone policies; 3 with restrictive phone policies), with 177 pupil, parent and school staff participants. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Data show that both restrictive and permissive phone polices have positive and negative impacts on pupil wellbeing. School policies influenced aspects of wellbeing related to health, connectedness, learning, agency and resilience, and the development of safe and supportive environments. Impacts of policies on wellbeing were further shaped by contextual factors. This study presents a conceptual model to inform future research, policy, and practice concerning the ways in which phones-and school phone policies-may shape adolescent wellbeing. The findings underscore that interventions targeting phone use should be integrated within broader, holistic approaches to supporting adolescent wellbeing that operate across both school and out-of-school environments.”