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Which US States Have Banned Cellphones in Schools? The 2026 Guide
As of mid-2026, at least 39 states and Washington DC require districts to ban or restrict student cellphones, according to Education Week, and about 28 states plus DC require a bell-to-bell rule covering the whole school day. Only a dozen states have no statewide requirement.
Florida passed the first state law in 2023, and the movement has grown every legislative session since. By Education Week's count in July 2026, the bell-to-bell states, where phones are off-limits for the whole day including lunch and passing periods, are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia, plus Washington DC. Some of these apply to certain grades first: Florida and Georgia, for example, started with elementary and middle school.
Eight states restrict phones during instructional time only: Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Minnesota and West Virginia require district policies or best practices. Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming had no statewide requirement in Education Week's tally, although many districts in those states have their own bans. Trackers count slightly differently: a July 2026 JAMA Pediatrics study counted 42 jurisdictions with statewide laws or policies, 15 of them bell-to-bell. Check your state department of education for the exact wording that applies to you.
Several of the biggest states have the strictest rules. New York has required bell-to-bell restrictions in K-12 since September 2025 and funded $13.5 million for storage. Texas's HB 1481 requires districts to ban personal devices for the whole school day from 2025-26. California's Phone-Free School Act required every district to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting smartphones by July 1, 2026. Ohio went bell-to-bell from January 2026, Virginia wrote its bell-to-bell policy into law in July 2025, and New Jersey goes bell-to-bell statewide from 2026-27.
Most of these laws tell districts what the policy must be, not how to enforce it. Lockable pouches are one of the most common ways to do it, because students keep their own phones and the school does not have to store them. Before The Internet sells lockable phone pouches to schools outright. You pay once, the pouches and unlocking bases belong to the school, and there is no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
How many states ban cellphones in schools?
At least 39 states and Washington DC require districts to ban or restrict phones, per Education Week (July 2026). About 28 states plus DC require bell-to-bell restrictions. Counts vary slightly by tracker.
What does bell-to-bell mean?
Bell-to-bell means phones are off-limits for the entire school day, from the first bell to the last, including lunch, recess and passing periods. Instructional-time rules only cover class time.
Does my state pay for phone pouches?
Some do. New York set aside $13.5 million for phone storage, and other states let districts use general or safety funds. Check with your state department of education, and compare one-time purchase prices with any recurring fees.
Related reading
New York's bell-to-bell school phone ban · Texas's school phone ban (HB 1481) · California's Phone-Free School Act · New Jersey's school phone ban
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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