Institute for Families and Technology (IFT)

Michigan’s new law limiting cell phone use during instructional time earned a C grade on our Phone-Free Schools Report Card. In a recent interview with @WGVURadio, IFT’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Lina Nealon, discussed why bell-to-bell policies are the gold standard and what Michigan can do to better support student focus and learning. Listen to Lina’s insights: bit.ly/44Wa6J6

The conversation about “cognitive stunting” comes at a critical moment. As AI companies race to put generative tools in the hands of children and students, we still know far too little about the long-term effects on attention, critical thinking, and cognitive development. This thought-provoking @BrookingsInst piece is worth a read.

📣 “There is no better endorsement of a bell-to-bell policy than state legislators voting to continue it indefinitely,” said Emily Rapp, director of policy for the Institute for Families and Technology. State leaders in Oklahoma voted to extend the state’s bell-to-bell cellphone ban beyond the 2025–26 school year. Read more in Bristow News: bit.ly/4ygvRRh

In April, @JonHaidt gave his third - and most urgent - TedTalk about stopping the takeover of childhood by technologies that were not designed with children’s welfare in mind. Haidt advocates that anyone who cares about children should take a techno-skeptical perspective and offers three general principles that would reduce the harm to children from current and future technologies: protect brain development through puberty; prioritize people and books in education, not screens; and beware of artificial relationships for minors. Watch the full TedTalk here: bit.ly/4ym9VED

Attention FL lawmakers: @tampabaytimes highlights IFT news - after Florida made history as the first state to pass a law regulating cell phone use in schools in 2023, it now stands out for being the only state in the nation that excludes high schoolers from its bell-to-bell phone-free schools policy. As IFT's Emily Rapp says: “Florida students shouldn’t lose the proven benefits of phone-free schools once they get to high school." Read more: bit.ly/4fqpzGa

A recent @baltfishbowl article highlights Maryland’s new “B” grade on IFT’s Phone-Free Schools Report Card, improving their previous “F” grade. By requiring bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions during the school day, Maryland has taken an important step toward creating learning environments that support students’ focus, well-being, and academic success. Read more about the law, why it earned this grade, and what comes next for schools across the state: bit.ly/4pcXUgz

To find out what AI use looks like for kids and teens, @CommonSense Media surveyed 9- to 17-year-olds across the country. The findings: 💬 For some, AI has become a confidant, even though the research is clear that AI companionship is not safe for anyone under 18. 📵 Guardrails are thin to nonexistent, while schools prioritize rules over safety. ⌛️ The conversation is “once again lagging behind the technology” - nearly half of kids have never had a conversation with their parents about AI safety. Read more: bit.ly/4ftLnSw

“We need accountability and protections for our kids,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on @BosPublicRadio's "Ask the Mayor." She explains why Boston has joined more than 1,000 school districts in calling on social media companies to take responsibility for the harms their platforms can cause young people. Watch as she discusses the need for stronger safeguards and greater accountability.

Check out the full Phone-Free Schools State Yearbook for the Class of 2026 and flip through all the pages highlighting this year’s state superlatives, recognitions, and progress toward bell-to-bell phone-free school policies. View the full yearbook here: bit.ly/3RtKQqv

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We applaud the states that have put their students first by passing phone-free schools laws. As for the states that have fallen short – we turn our eyes to the future and know you can do better! More states are introducing and passing legislation because policymakers, parents, educators, and students are seeing the same reality firsthand: fewer distractions, stronger engagement, healthier social connection, and classrooms that feel more present again. We look forward to seeing what's ahead in 2027!

More Class Superlatives for the 2026 Phone-Free Schools State Yearbook! Washington has been voted “Head in the Clouds.” Ignoring existing evidence on the academic, health, and relational benefits of freeing students from their personal devices, state legislators advanced a study aimed at bell-to-bell policies by 2030 instead of passing meaningful legislation that would benefit the state's students. Kudos to Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-WA) for already announcing this as a legislative priority for 2027. Despite receiving an “F” this legislative session, South Dakota earned “Most Dedicated” due to the tireless efforts of Senate Majority Leader Chris Karr (R-SD) – listen to him discuss the importance of a phone-free school day in this interview: bit.ly/3SVclJW “Biggest Procrastinator” goes to Connecticut's state Senate that neglected to take up the strong phone-free schools bill advanced by the House. We applaud the House members who got their work done on time to set students up for success!

Class Superlatives are in for the 2026 Phone-Free Schools State Yearbook! Awarded “Most Improved,” Maryland skyrocketed from an “F” to a “B” on the Report Card by passing a strong bell-to-bell policy. H.B. 525 ensures students are not suspended or expelled for policy infractions and prohibits students from using or accessing social media during the school day. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are voted “Most Likely to Succeed,” as bell-to-bell phone-free schools bills are currently moving in both state legislatures that would set students up for success. “Most Creative” goes to Maine, as Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) thought outside the box by using her supplemental budget to pass a bell-to-bell ban.

Montana is the only state in the nation that has yet to introduce a phone-free schools bill. Students are left without the academic, health, and social benefits of a distraction-free school day. With Montana out of session for all of 2026, the state has been marked “Truant.”

If we’ve learned anything in the last 250 years as a nation–it’s that freedom takes work. Today we fight for kids to grow up safe, healthy, and able to thrive free from the manipulation by tech companies seeking to profit from their innocence. This Independence Day, we're committed to helping build a world that puts children's wellbeing first–offline and online. Happy 4th of July. 🇺🇸✨

This year, states from coast to coast have made strides in the movement to free students from the distractions of smart devices in classrooms – but not every state got the memo. Despite the ongoing efforts of parents, teachers, and lawmakers, a small handful of states failed to pass any statewide legislation, receiving an “F” grade on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card. This session, both Washington and South Dakota failed to pass a statewide law, while Connecticut and Mississippi are being held back after failing to advance legislation for the second consecutive session.

While many states have made significant strides on the Report Card, two states left many of their students deprived of the benefits of distraction-free learning by leaving cell phone use policies to be decided by school districts. For not enacting a statewide standard, these states have landed in detention and received a “D.”

Starting the year with an Incomplete, Michigan’s new law earned a “C” for banning phone-use during class time. While an improvement from having no law at all, instructional class time only bills place enforcement burden on teachers and rob students of critical relationship-building opportunities that happen in hallways and lunchrooms. Michigan can strengthen its law by requiring a bell-to-bell policy that stipulates inaccessible storage.

Next up in the Phone-Free Schools State Yearbook for the Class of 2026: We congratulate our Honor Roll states that earned a “B” grade by passing or strengthening policies that increase the benefits of distraction-free learning for students. These states mandate personal devices are put away from the start of the school day to the final bell (bell-to-bell) – the single research-backed approach that supports the best outcomes for both educators and students. Maine, Maryland, and Utah received Honor Roll with Distinction for earning their first “B” grades either amending or passing new laws. Georgia, Oklahoma, and Virginia made the Honor Roll for improving their existing “B” grades by strengthening the language in their bills.

As 2026 state legislative sessions wrap up, we honor the states that have put students first by passing strong bell-to-bell phone-free schools policies and call on states that have left students behind to prioritize distraction-free learning. Over the next two weeks, we'll be presenting the Phone-Free Schools State Yearbook for the Class of 2026! First up, Top of the Class: Indiana as valedictorian and Kansas as salutatorian. These two states joined Class of 2025 "A" grade states North Dakota and Rhode Island by passing the strongest bell-to-bell phone-free schools laws in the country. "A" states must require inaccessible storage for personal devices, ensuring students are free from the pressures of constant notifications throughout the entire school day. While Kansas scored higher than Indiana, implementation guidance from Kansas officials has caused confusion by contradicting the law, thereby forfeiting the state's top spot this year. However, Indiana's Dept. of Education recently issued guidance out of step with the intent of the law by listing student backpacks as an acceptable storage option. Indiana may be demoted if implementation guidance is not corrected to ensure phones are inaccessible.

Maine @GovJanetMills (D-ME) recently signed a statewide "Bell to Bell, No Cell" policy into law. The governor's office touted Maine's improved grade on the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card -- from a D to a B! Read more on how leaders across Maine are celebrating the new law:  bit.ly/4xItsOZ