School cellphone bans don’t affect test scores or attendance, study finds

Most states have attempted to curb cellphone use in schools in recent years. Parents and educators hoped decreased usage would improve test scores, boost mental health and help students pay more attention in class.

The results, however, have been mixed.

While cellphone bans have reduced unauthorized usage in schools, there has been little academic benefit, according to a new study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The average effect on test scores is “consistently close to zero,” researchers said.

The study also found that cellphone bans do not have much of an effect on attendance, perceptions of online bullying or in-class engagement. The bans, however, did make teachers happier at work.

“I think what our study is useful in suggesting is, a lot of times, easy solutions seem like they might work really well,” said E. Jason Baron, an assistant professor of economics at Duke University and one of the paper’s authors. But “it’s hard to move outcomes like test scores.”

Source: Washington Post

Submitted May 6, 2026 at 09:17AM by Dependent_Wafer3866 https://ift.tt/FZmHb0R