Students across Pennsylvania will have to stay off their cell phones during the school day under a new law that will compel local officials to enact restrictions on the devices.
The measure passed the state legislature with bipartisan support, and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed it into law during an Oct. 26 ceremony at a Bucks County middle school. Education advocates hailed the measure, which reinforces and expands rules that many districts have already adopted amid concerns about how phones can disrupt learning.
“I think students need to spend less time focused on their phones and a whole lot more time focused on learning and developing those social skills with their neighbors,” Shapiro said during the signing ceremony.
One recent study of a group of teenagers found they were on their phones for an average of 70 minutes of each school day. Advocate Kirstin McGowan, who helps lead the group PA Unplugged, said this type of scrolling is “leading to lost learning, lost connection and wasted tax dollars.”
“Parents, teachers and health professionals have been asking for help because our kids are only as safe as the friend or the school with the weakest digital rules,” McGowan said during the bill signing ceremony at Lenape Middle School, where phone use is already limited.
Public school districts, charter schools and private schools will have to adopt these new restrictions by the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
The prohibition includes carveouts for students who use their phones as part of a special education plan or who need accommodations related to a medical condition or disability. English language learners who rely on a device for translation are also exempt.
Despite bipartisan support for the bill, some people oppose the statewide mandate and would prefer to let each school district approach the issue of device use in their own way. Parents have also worried about not being in contact with their children throughout the day and particularly during emergencies.
Proponents of the new law argue it addresses both concerns.
The legislation, HB1014, gives districts flexibility to tailor their rules to their own communities, allowing them to decide how phones will be secured during the day and how to enforce the restrictions. In addition, it directs schools to give parents options for contacting their children during the day.
Thirty states have already enacted bell-to-bell phone bans at schools, although in several states, the rules don’t apply to high schoolers, according to Education Week. Another eight states prohibit the devices during instructional time.
