COLUMBUS, Ohio-Ohio lawmakers have passed legislation urging school districts to implement policies that minimize students’ phone use during school hours, responding to Governor Mike DeWine’s call to reduce screen time for middle and high school students.
The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, doesn’t establish a statewide standard but mandates each district to emphasize limited phone use, allowing exceptions for learning or health purposes. Schools must adopt such policies by July 2025. Many Ohio schools already restrict phone use, with measures ranging from holding phones in locked pouches to allowing limited use only during designated times. Nationally, school smartphone bans have become more common, with 77% of U.S. schools prohibiting non-academic phone use in 2020, up from 65% in 2015.
