School mobile phone bans do not affect test scores or attendance, US study finds

A study reveals that school bans on mobile phones have a negligible effect on test scores or in-class engagement. Photo / 123RF

New studies have shown that a ban on mobile phone use in schools has had no effect on improving test scores or student attendance levels.

While bans have reduced unauthorised usage in schools, there has been little academic benefit, according to a study released by the United States National Bureau of Economic Research.

The average effect on test scores was “consistently close to zero”, researchers said in a working paper.

The study - conducted by researchers from Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University and the University of Michigan - also found that phone bans had little effect on attendance, perceptions of online bullying, or in-class engagement.

E Jason Baron, an assistant professor of economics at Duke University and one of the paper’s authors, said: “I think what our study is useful in suggesting is, a lot of times, easy solutions seem like they might work really well. [But] it’s hard to move outcomes like test scores.”

Teachers noted that strict bans led to less phone usage during class, and surveys found that this made teachers happier in their jobs.

The paper relied on test scores, school records, GPS data, survey findings and figures from Yondr, a company that creates magnetic lockable pouches for phones. Researchers examined data collected between 2018 and 2025 at more than 41,000 schools.

Two-thirds of US states have implemented rules that limit or outright ban phones on school grounds.

Nearly 5000 schools use lockable pouches to reduce phone usage during school hours.

Students are typically required to lock their devices in the pouches when they arrive at school and are not able to use them until the final bell rings.

Phone bans have found bipartisan support in recent years amid growing concerns over children’s mental health and test scores that plummeted when they returned from pandemic-era virtual learning.

They also have broad support among educators - 90% of teachers supported phone restrictions during instructional hours, according to the National Education Association.

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