- Senate Education Committee offers unanimous support of SB178 — the so-called "No cellphones in classrooms" bill.
- If ratified, the bill would allow local schools or districts to implement their own cellphone/classroom policies.
- Students, parents and educators expressed mixed responses Tuesday to the classroom/cellphone bill.
A proposed state law prohibiting cellphone use in Utah’s K-12 classrooms — with allowances for local modifications — is a pivotal step closer to becoming official.
On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to pass along SB178 to the Senate floor.
If ratified, Utah’s public primary and secondary classrooms would be cellphone (and smart watch) “free zones” — unless local districts opt for a different policy.
SB178 also seeks to reset the state’s “default” policy on kids using their cellphones during classroom hours. Current state policy allows cellphone use whenever or wherever students want, unless the local district or school articulates a prohibitive policy.
Bill sponsor Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, has noted that the proposed policy includes acceptable “carve-outs” for emergencies or other crisis situations.
And students would still be allowed to use their devices during lunch period, recess, between class periods or during study hall — unless, again, local school districts decide otherwise.
Lawmaker: Cellphones disrupt classrooms and kids’ development
During his committee presentation Tuesday, Fillmore spoke of being a school principal several years ago when students first began bringing cellphones to school.
“At that point, as educators, we didn’t see that as a big intrusion,” he said. “Students weren’t pulling out their phones during class to make phone calls and talking to people. They certainly weren’t pulling them out to browse the internet or play Candy Crush.
“Those kinds of things didn’t exist.”
But in 2025, Fillmore added, cellphones and similar devices are disruptive to both classroom and children’s brain functions. Even if students aren’t actively using their devices, they are often being bombarded by notifications.
“It creates such a FOMO (fear of missing out) — and that generates more anxiety.”
Fillmore recalled recently announcing his bill at Granger High School, where a no-cellphone-in-class policy has already been instituted.
Granger High’s principal, said Fillmore, described the increased noise levels coming from the school cafeteria on the first day of the “no cellphone” policy.
When the principal began investigating the din, said Fillmore, he noticed “that instead of kids staring at their devices in their hands, they were actually talking to each other. … That was a wonderful thing for him to see.”
The lawmaker emphasized the local nuance built into SB178. If the bill passes, cellphones would not be allowed during class time. “And then the question before districts is: ‘How can we integrate this technology in order to support education and support kids’ health’?.”
Kristen Andrus — an official with The Policy Project, a community organization focused on crafting policy solutions aimed at building communities — spoke to the legislative committee Tuesday about talking to Utah parents and students about SB178.
“We have gone across the state to ensure that not only does this bill get passed — but that implementation is impeccable, that parents are on board, that they understand why this is happening, and that this is not just something in schools, but also something in the family and the home, and that everybody is talking about it,” said Andrus.
“And we have had such incredible support from parents, families, teachers, principals and our incredible superintendents.”
Mixed reactions to cellphone prohibitions
Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, said she appreciates Fillmore’s bill because it’s not “heavy-handed” and allows for emergencies and also essential uses for devices.
“We have lots of kids in Salt Lake County who use their phones as translators,” she said, adding that some students require uninterrupted access to their phones because they are caregivers for younger siblings.
Many students, Riebe noted, are “very responsible” with managing their phones.
“I wish we could actually educate our kids to be responsible with the devices they have. … Instead of making policies that sometimes are punitive,” concluded Riebe, who voted in favor of passing the bill.
Several students, school administrators and community members participated in Tuesday’s public comment section. Most spoke in favor of SB178. Others oppose the bill, calling it government oversight.
Milan Venegas, a student at Timpview High School, said he witnessed differences in student interactions when the Provo School District enacted a policy managing cellphone usage in classrooms.
“There have been so many positive changes,” said Venegas.
Connecting with peers, he added, is one of the most important aspects of attending school. “If we can’t connect with each other, how are we going to communicate change? How are we going to do anything in our world? How are we going to go into the workforce?”
Sarah Coyne is a professor at Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life and has researched the impact of media on children and families for two decades.
Coyne said she supports the bill in general — especially its local allowances. However, the early research on cellphones in schools yields mixed results.
“I would love a little bit more caution to maybe wait for policy decisions to be made until we have some research that is really specific to Utah students.”
Coyne also called for nuance to be included in the cellphone policy.
“I’m a developmentalist, and so I think it’s interesting that this bill treats 5-year-olds the same as 18-year-olds,” she said. “From a developmental standpoint, we know that they’re dramatically different and have different needs in terms of autonomy, in terms of education, in terms of socially and so on.”
Olympus High School Principal Jen Christensen said cellphones have been “a constant battle” in the classroom for two decades.
She noted that a simple cellphone function such as notifications can interrupt classroom engagement and instruction — undermining student learning.
Christensen was an assistant principal at Cyprus High School when the Magna school adopted a “no cellphone” policy in 2018.
It was a difficult challenge, she said — but the results “were remarkable.”
Monica Wilbur, representing the Utah organization Higher Ground, called SB178 a “gross overreach” of state power and authority.
“It is not the proper role of government to outlaw what is inherently legal property to possess,” said Wilbur. “It is the parents prerogative always to decide if, when and why they give their kids phones.”