Ohio schools implement a cellphone ban during instructional hours as part of a new state law approved by Gov. Mike DeWine.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Schools in Ohio are back in session as students face new classes, teachers and a recently approved cellphone ban.
Under Revised Code Section 3313.753, each public school must prohibit student cellphone use during instructional hours in its policy.
The law directs schools to promote limited student phone use during the day and reduce cellphone-related distractions in classroom settings.
Gov. Mike DeWine approved the measure as part of the state’s two-year, $60 billion operating budget, which he signed June 30.
However, students will still be allowed to use their cellphones for learning, health concerns deemed appropriate by the school or when included in their individualized education program (IEP) or section 504 plan.
DeWine has long supported the cellphone ban in schools, signing a similar bill into law last year requiring school districts in the state to implement policies to limit students’ use of cellphones.
“Just having a phone nearby means students are receiving constant notifications all day long,” DeWine said at a news conference in April. “Those notifications make it nearly impossible for students to focus and to learn.”
R.C. 3313.753 replaces the 2024 law that allowed schools to set their own cellphone policies, now enacting the phone ban in each school.
The law applies to every school district, community school, STEM school or college-preparatory boarding school in the state.
The act takes effect Sept. 30, 2025. All schools must have compliant policies by Jan. 1, 2026.
Cellphone bans across U.S. schools
As students start school this year, 17 states and the District of Columbia are imposing new cellphone restrictions. In total, 35 states have passed laws or rules to limit student phone use in schools.
Florida was the first state to pass a law limiting phones in classrooms in 2023, but the movement has spread rapidly. A few more states could still act this year, including Massachusetts.
The push has been supported by Republicans and Democrats due to concerns about phones affecting mental health and learning. States have increasingly enacted full-day bans, also called “bell-to-bell” bans, although Georgia and Florida are only requiring such “bell-to-bell” bans for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Another seven states are banning the use of devices during class time, but not between classes or during lunch periods. In some cases, those laws don’t take effect until next year, but districts are acting before the 2025-2026 school year starts.
A few states reject rules
Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum.
Wyoming’s Senate in January rejected requiring districts to create some kind of cellphone policy after opponents argued that teachers and parents need to be responsible.
And in the Michigan House in July, a Republican-sponsored bill directing schools to ban phones bell-to-bell in grades K-8 and during high school instruction time was defeated in July after Democrats insisted on upholding local control. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among multiple governors who made restricting phones in schools a priority this year, is still calling for a bill to come to her desk.
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