The Pennsylvania Senate’s education committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would forbid cell phone use on school campuses, with limited exceptions. The bipartisan bill passed through the committee with a unanimous vote, though some revisions were suggested.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes, whose seventh district includes parts of Northwest and West Philadelphia, spoke about the bill in an episode of City Cast Philly. Hughes said teachers across school districts, both “challenged and affluent,” express frustrations with phones in classrooms.
“ You talk to teachers and they will tell you, ‘All right, aside from pay and pension and benefits and that kind of stuff, please get these cell phones out of the schools because I can't get the attention of my children, my students,’” he said.
Nationally, most school leaders reported negative impacts of cell phone use on academic performance, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, and they attributed phone usage to students’ declining mental health and attention spans.
“ It only takes a minute to start doom scrolling,” Hughes said. “Next thing you know, it's an hour later or two hours later. You say you are only gonna do it for 10 minutes, just find out what's going on. And it's two hours later.”
Although over 20 states and the District of Columbia ban or restrict phone usage in schools, Pennsylvania is not one of them. In 2024, the state allocated $100 million for schools to purchase lockable bags for phones, but only 18 districts took up the offer.
What’s in the Bill
Senate Bill 1014 would require Pennsylvania schools, both public and private, to implement policies banning phone use during the school day. Exceptions would be made for students with medical conditions or individualized learning plans, English language learners who rely on translation apps, and limited teacher-approved instructional use.
If approved, the bill would go into effect for the 2027-2028 academic year.
Arguments For & Against Phone Bans
The bill is sponsored by Hughes along with Democratic Sen. Steve Santarsiero and Republican Sen. Devlin Robinson in an effort to improve students’ focus and mental health.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that adolescent smartphone ownership increases risks of depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep, and described smartphones as “a significant factor in teen health.”
Schools that have implemented bans have noted improvements. At Olney High School, students place their phones in lockers before entering the school building, only accessing them after the last bell. Nearly all teachers at the high school reported improvements in student behavior, with more students participating in class and interacting with each other.
Yet not everyone is in favor of an outright ban. Some argue that phones are important for safety or learning support, and that it’s still too early to tell whether these experiments are as successful as reported outcomes suggest.
What’s Next
Now that the bill has passed out of committee, the full Senate will consider the bill. It also must be taken up for a vote in the General Assembly before being signed into law by the governor.
