Mississippi lawmakers push bills to ban cellphone use in schools

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Cellphones could soon become a rarer sight in classrooms, thanks to the Mississippi Legislature.

The House Education Committee passed a bill during its Wednesday meeting that would require local school boards to enact policies that restrict or prohibit the use of cellphones during the school day. The Senate Education Committee greenlit a similar bill during its meeting last week, which bodes well for the legislative success of the policy. 

Rep. Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany, said similar bills have previously failed, but he’s optimistic that the Legislature can get the policy passed this year because it’s a priority for legislators in both chambers. Creekmore also said he’s concerned about the amount of time students are spending on their phones and how that impacts their mental health. 

Mental health issues among teenagers have risen sharply since the early 2010s, coinciding with the widespread adoption of smartphones.

“You just can't ignore that,” he said. 

Youth mental health concerns have sparked renewed interest in policies across the country. Research links cellphone and social media usage among school-aged kids to negative mental health outcomes and instances of cyberbullying.

At least 33 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students from using cellphones in schools, according to Education Week. A measure that would have done so in Mississippi died last session, even after Mississippi’s youth mental health task force recommended that all school districts implement policies that limited cellphone and social media usage in classrooms.

Still, districts have established their own policies — and seen the dividends. Creekmore cited the success of a new school cellphone policy in Marshall County as an example, near his district. In 2024, Marshall County School District in Holly Springs became the first district in north Mississippi to restrict students’ use of cellphones in school. Upon arrival at school, students store their phones in lockable pouches, which blocks access during class. 

After implementing the policy, 88% of teachers in Marshall County schools saw an improvement in student engagement, according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Jackson Public Schools established a stricter cellphone policy this past school year, requiring students to keep their phones out of sight and off their person during school.

Since updating the policy, district spokesman Sherwin Johnson said teachers report improved classroom management, better transitions between classes and more meaningful teacher-student interactions across schools.

He also said that students are less distracted and more engaged, and there have been fewer discipline infractions tied to cellphone misuse during class. 

“This policy is not about eliminating technology, but about establishing appropriate boundaries that prioritize learning,” Johnson said in an emailed statement. “By creating structured, distraction-free environments, we are reinforcing a culture of accountability, respect, and academic focus that keeps classrooms focused on instruction, collaboration, and scholar success."

That tracks with research in other states. 

One study in Florida, which became the first state to institute a statewide school cellphone restriction in 2023, found that student test scores rose in schools with previously high cellphone usage two years after the ban and attendance improved. An initial increase in disciplinary incidents was likely due to cellphone infractions during that transitional year, said David Figlio, an economics professor at the University of Rochester and one of the study’s authors.

“The school district permitted them to have phones in their backpacks or pocket, so it stands to reason that when there’s a temptation nearby, people might succumb to that temptation,” Figlio said. “When my phone is buzzing, even when I'm teaching, I feel this visceral need to check it out. Imagine you’re 14.”

Still, Jackson parents initially pushed back during community listening sessions about the cellphone policy during the summer, citing anxiety about losing contact with students during an emergency. 

A Pew Research Center survey found that most adults support cellphone bans in middle and high school classes, but those who don’t say it’s because their child can use their phone during emergencies.

Creekmore said he’s raised similar concerns to law enforcement, who say having a cellphone during an emergency could be distracting.

Brigette Whaley, a professor at West Texas A&M University and former middle school teacher, has studied classroom cellphone policies in several states. She found that at one rural high school in Texas during the 2024-25 school year, a bell-to-bell phone-free policy resulted in more student engagement, less “drama” among students and less student anxiety and cyberbullying. 

“What I’m seeing with teachers is that they’re definitely excited about building those relationships and community in their classrooms again,” she said. 

While she understands parents’ desire to stay in touch with their children, Whaley urged them to trust their schools to have policies in place to contact students through the school’s administrative offices. 

“School is a place that should be safe and is for learning,” she said. “Students also need the opportunity to spread their wings a little bit, and this gives them the opportunity to be a little more independent in what should be a safe environment in schools.”

And as people continue to study the impact of the bans, Whaley believes researchers will find that violence at schools will decrease, too. 

“I’m hoping to see that trend down as students begin reengaging in their classrooms and have those face-to-face human relationships that have been going downhill for years now,” she said.