A new Pew Research Center survey finds that public support for banning cell phones in middle and high school continues to rise. Across the United States, 77% of adults support banning cell phones in middle and high school classes. Support for restricting phones for longer periods is also increasing: 48% of adults say they support all-day cellphone bans for middle and high school students, often described as “bell-to-bell” policies. The survey results indicate that this level of support is higher than it was two years earlier, when 36% of adults supported all-day bans.
The findings reflect a broader trend of schools adopting cell phone limits as districts seek to reduce classroom disruptions and focus students’ attention during instruction. While the reported results focus on adult views, they suggest that attitudes toward stricter cellphone rules are becoming more favorable over time. The sources both rely on the Pew survey figures to describe the same pattern of growing approval, including the split between support for classroom-only bans and support for full-school-day restrictions.
