Bob Ferguson, the governor of Washington, has recently confirmed his plan to ban cellphones across schools in Washington state. His plan would go into effect in September 2027, if approved.

Many other U.S. states have already imposed a cellphone ban, and as Ferguson said, “Science supports a phone-free school environment. No single policy can solve every challenge in education, but this one will make a big difference in our students’ social and academic engagement. I won’t let Washington be the last state in the nation to step up for our kids.”

In today’s age, 95% of teenagers have phones, with 97% of them using them during school hours. A study shows that teens from 13 to 18 years old spend around 6.5 hours daily on their phones (8.5 hours including other devices), with 1.5 hours of this time being used during school hours.

With that in mind, research has shown that the use of phones in school negatively impacts students’ ability to learn, absorb information, and focus. Additionally, the use of phones can make it harder to engage with your classmates or peers. “Our kids are missing what’s written on the whiteboard and focusing more on memes instead of math because of digital distractions,” a frustrated Ferguson mentions.

Without phones, attention and socialization has shown to increase. Ferguson also put several exceptions in the plan, in case a student needs their phones for medical or educational reasons.

What do you think? Should phones be banned in schools?