Utah’s students are struggling with rising anxiety, declining focus and fewer meaningful face-to-face interactions. They feel it. Parents and educators see it every day. And the research now confirms it: Constant smartphone access is taking a real toll on learning and mental health.
Utah recently made meaningful progress by clarifying that local schools and districts have the authority to create distraction-free classrooms, reinforcing our commitment to local decision making. That was an important step. Now, we must address the deeper challenge facing our students.
Excessive screen time is increasingly linked to anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation among children and teenagers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, constant phone use reshapes how young people think, interact and cope. Utah teachers report the same thing in their classrooms: When phones are absent, students reconnect with learning and with one another and teaching improves.
The evidence points to a clear next step. Utah should adopt a new statewide baseline: phones off and put away during the school day — from the first bell to the last bell — unless a school or district chooses a different policy. A “default yes” to bell-to-bell phone-free schools ensures that every community begins with the same foundational question: How can technology best support learning?
This approach is already gaining traction nationwide. Florida led the country in 2023 with a policy limiting phone use during instructional time and in 2024 expanded that effort to a bell-to-bell distraction-free policy for K–8 schools. Today, more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted phone-free policies for schools and classrooms, with 23 of those policies applying bell-to-bell restrictions.
National data further confirm what Utah educators have been raising for years. The School Pulse Panel from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that cellphones are not just interrupting lessons — they are harming students. More than half of school leaders report that phones undermine academic performance and even more say constant device use is damaging students’ mental health and ability to focus.
Utah’s bell-to-bell proposal preserves full local authority. Any district can adopt cellphone policies that best fit its instructional needs. At the same time, the state would establish a healthy baseline so all schools can rely on a clear and consistent expectation.
This balance strengthens distraction-free learning environments while ensuring technology is used intentionally, safely and responsibly at an educator’s discretion.
Public support is clear. Nearly two-thirds of voters favor making K–12 schools cellphone free. Teachers want to reclaim instructional time. And students, who often adjust more quickly than adults expect, frequently say they feel more connected to their peers when phones are out of sight.
We have already resolved the question of governance. Now, we need to strengthen the expectation.
A statewide baseline of distraction-free schools would reduce daily stress, rebuild meaningful face-to-face interaction and refocus students’ attention on learning. Because any school that believes phones support instruction can opt out, Utah also preserves the local flexibility that defines our education system.
This is a responsible reset, one that puts academic focus and student well-being first. Strengthening the statewide expectation for bell-to-bell phone-free schools places Utah students at the center of our decisions and prepares them for healthier, more focused futures.