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Ramaswamy suggests banning phones in schools
At an announcement for his candidacy for the governor of Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy suggested banning phones in schools, which could help tackle issues such as anxiety and depression.
Support among Americans for restricting cellphone use in schools continues to climb, with the majority of adults now backing bans on students using phones during class, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
The findings were based on the survey results from 9,750 adults living in the United States. Interviews were conducted online and by live telephone in English and Spanish.
Nearly 8 in 10 U.S. adults support cellphone bans in schools
By the numbers:
The survey, conducted May 26 through June 1, found that 77% of U.S. adults support in-class cellphone bans for middle and high school students, while just 18% oppose the policy and 6% are unsure. The findings mark the second consecutive year of increasing support for classroom restrictions.
77% of U.S. adults support banning cellphone use during middle and high school classes. (Credit: Getty Images)
In addition, nearly half of adults (48%) favor "bell-to-bell" cellphone bans, requiring students to keep their phones off-limits from the start to the end of the school day. That represents a 12-percentage-point increase from 36% in 2024. Meanwhile, 43% oppose all-day bans and 8% remain undecided.
Support varies by age, political affiliation
Dig deeper:
Support for cellphone restrictions varied by age, with younger adults remaining the least supportive despite increasing acceptance of the policies.
Among adults younger than 30, 57% support banning cellphone use during class, up from 45% in 2024 and roughly unchanged from last year. Older adults express substantially stronger support for classroom bans.
About 81% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support banning cellphone use during class, compared with 74% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. Republicans are also more likely to support all-day bans, with 55% in favor, compared with 44% of Democrats.
Increasing number of states adopt school cellphone policies
The backstory:
The growing support comes as an increasing number of states have adopted policies limiting or prohibiting student cellphone use during school hours.
In a separate Pew survey conducted in 2025, majorities of Americans said they believed all-day cellphone bans would improve students' academic performance, classroom behavior and social skills, although far fewer thought the policies would enhance students' physical safety.
RELATED: School phone bans have little impact on academics or behavior, new study finds
A 2024 Pew Research study also found that about one in three teachers considered students distracted by cell phones "a major problem." Among high school teachers, that figure rose sharply, to 72%.
As of this past spring, at least 37 states and the District of Columbia required school districts to ban or restrict students’ phone use in schools. Teachers and parents typically supported the bans, while students, on the whole, opposed them.
Another recent study showed mixed outcomes: teachers said students were less distracted when phones were put away during the day, but there was little proof that the bans were quickly leading to better grades or improved behavior, contrary to what many supporters expected.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Pew Research. This story was reported from Los Angeles. Previous FOX Local reporting contributed.