Phones Out, Focus In: Crafting Classroom Policies That Work for Everyone

By Michael P. Milham, MD, PhD
Chief Science Officer, Child Mind Institute

The impact of personal devices during the school day demands clearer focus and thoughtful action. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement that New York is banning smartphone use during school hours is a strong first step. How to implement the ban has been left up to individual school districts and that should prompt carefully crafted, individual solutions. A rural middle school and an urban high school face different realities.

That’s why at the Child Mind Institute, we believe limits on personal phone should be developed collaboratively, giving students, parents, educators, and experts a voice in designing an effective strategy for each school — not to demonize devices, but to create classrooms where teachers can teach, students can focus, and healthier tech habits can take root.

The research is compelling. Meta-analyses covering thousands of students reveal that even silent phones nearby can impair working memory and problem-solving. Classroom-level effects are also clear: one distracted student can lower the performance of peers, with boys and students in under-resourced schools often disproportionately affected. Meanwhile, students who most benefit from predictable environments — those who have ADHD, anxiety, or other challenges — find the constant pull of notifications especially disruptive to learning.

Yet the same research reminds us that simply banning phones without guidance misses a crucial opportunity. When schools pair limits with strong digital-literacy programs, students gain the self-management skills they’ll need long after graduation.

• Local partnership. Policies work best when students, families, educators, clinicians, and administrators co-design them, addressing practical concerns from the start.
• Data-driven, adaptive roll-out. Design pilot programs, measure their impact on learning and school climate, adjust, and scale thoughtfully. Phone policies deserve the same care we give new curricula.
• Equity at the center. Districts with fewer resources often struggle to enforce consistent rules or provide robust digital-literacy instruction. State and philanthropic support can ensure protective policies help close, not widen, existing gaps.
• Teach, don’t just police. Lessons on digital citizenship, emotional regulation, and online choices turn rules into real-world skills.
• Safety without constant connectivity. Classroom phones, teacher radios, and main office lines can make sure families can reach kids when needed — without every student holding a device all day.
• Make healthy tech habits part of the bigger picture. Cutting back phone use at school helps, but curbing risks like cyberbullying, social comparison, and compulsive use requires teamwork across schools, families, and communities.

This isn’t about control. It’s about giving every student a learning environment where they can thrive. When districts, PTAs, and policymakers come together to craft smart, flexible guidelines — and commit to tracking what works — we can find the right balance between staying connected and staying focused.

The Child Mind Institute is ready to help states, districts, and school communities pilot, refine, and improve approaches grounded in evidence and shaped by experience. In schools that embrace thoughtful limits, students and teachers alike are reporting calmer days, better learning, and stronger real-world connections.

The research is clear. The mental health stakes are high. This is a challenge we can meet — and now is the time to act.