Pennsylvania lawmakers pass bell-to-bell cellphone ban
Bill will take effect in 2027-28 school year
Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban cellphones in public and private schools statewide, starting with the 2027-28 school year.
The state Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill 47-3 on Wednesday, after the House passed it earlier this week by a 141-62 vote.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he will sign the bill, making Pennsylvania the 25th state in the nation to enact a bell-to-bell phone-free schools law.
Once Shapiro signs the legislation, school districts will be required to adopt policies prohibiting phones during the school day.
The bipartisan measure includes some exceptions, including for students with medical conditions, ESL learners who use cellphones for translation, and education plans that require phones.
In a Facebook post, Shapiro said, “It’s time to get back to the basics in school and let our kids be kids.”
In a statement on the legislation, lawmakers said the move is intended to reduce the use of smartphones in schools, as studies have shown a rise in depression and anxiety in children due to smartphone use, and “the suicide rate for adolescents ages 10-19 rose 48%, while the suicide rate for girls ages 10-14 rose an astonishing 131%.”
“We also know children and teens are using their smartphones excessively,” reads a statement on the legislation. “Between 2010-2015, U.S. teens with smartphones rose from 23% to 73%, with a quarter admitting to being online ‘almost constantly.’ Now, teens spend an average of nearly eight hours a day on their phones, equivalent to a full-time job, and receive an average of 237 notifications on their phone a day.”
The Pennsylvania State Education Association and other teachers unions, along with PA Unplugged, a grassroots group advocating for phone-free schools, have been supportive of the bell-to-bell policy.
The PSEA applauded the passage of the bill, noting in a statement that there is “widespread support” among Pennsylvanians for a statewide bell-to-bell policy.
A September poll conducted for PSEA found that 79% of Pennsylvanians supported a statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy in schools, while 14% opposed it.
Respondents said the policy could reduce classroom distractions and improve students’ mental health.
Locally, some school districts have already moved ahead with phone restrictions, ranging from all-day bans – where students place their phones in a locked pouch called a Yondr – to cellphones being allowed only during certain times of the day.
Washington, Brownsville, and California Area school districts in Washington County are among the districts that ban the use of cellphones during the school day, and Bentworth students have limited access to cellphone use throughout the day.
Earlier this year, in Fayette County, Uniontown Area School District received a grant for students in Lafayette Middle School to store phones in Yondr pouches.