A lot of schools are moving toward phone bans, and the data is starting to show impact. It’s not just about “behavior”—it’s about brain power. A 2025 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) analyzed districts in Florida after the state implemented a “bell-to-bell” ban in 2023. 

 

•Academic gains come slowly. Researchers found that test scores rose by about 1.1 percentile points in the second year of the ban.

•Attendance Boost: Unexcused absences dropped significantly. Researchers believe that when school becomes a more social, face-to-face environment without phones, students feel more connected and want to be there.

•An Adjustment Period: A spike in suspensions during the first year occurred as students and staff adjusted to the new rules. By the second year, disciplinary issues leveled off as a phone-free culture became the norm. 

 

3 Ways to Help Students Take a Break

School bans don’t transfer outside the school so we have to teach youth how to manage their phone use individually. A recent PEW Research Center study showed that roughly three-quarters of teens visit YouTube daily, while around 6 in 10 say this about TikTok. 

 

Here are three methods to share with your students:

 

The “Attention Audit”

Ask your students to try an experiment during one study session: keep a piece of paper nearby and make a tally mark every time they feel the “itch” to check their phone. Most are shocked by how often their brain tries to jump ship. Just noticing the habit is the first step to breaking it.

 

Clean Up the Digital Space

Encourage them to do a “Notification Purge.” If an app isn’t a real person trying to reach them, the notification should be off. By silencing the pings from games and social media, they stop their phones from constantly interrupting while they’re trying to focus.

 

Build a “Focus Muscle”

Attention is like a muscle—it gets stronger with practice. Suggest they try “Focus Sprints”:

•Set a timer for just 10 minutes of totally uninterrupted work.

•When the timer goes off, take a break (stretch, get water, or look out the window—no screens!).

•Gradually work up to 20 or 25 minutes. It’s about teaching the brain that it’s okay to stay on one task for more than thirty seconds.

 

Are you looking to do more? Common Sense Education is a leading nonprofit that provides K–12 schools with free, research-based resources to help students and families thrive in a world of media and technology. Their platform offers educators a variety of free professional development courses, including specialized training in digital citizenship, media balance, and the responsible use of AI in the classroom.