Indiana’s Cell Phone Ban Means Less School Drama, But Students Miss Their Headphones

Jadon Howard, 15, spent a lot of time hiding away, using his phone during classes.

“And last year I had a ton of missed homework,” says Jadon, a sophomore at Beech Grove High School near Indianapolis.

His mother, Erin Franklin, says her son could have easily been a good student, but “he didn’t give his all in school or sports — it was all about electronics, and that was all he cared about.”

This year was different.

“I feel like I’m paying more attention and more focused,” Jadon explains.

What’s changed? This is Jadon’s first school year under a new Indiana law that restricts the use of phones and other devices in schools.

Last fall, about 7 in 10 U.S. high school teachers said distraction from students’ phones was a “serious problem” in classrooms, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Indiana is one of the few states that have responded to the problem by passing laws or implementing policies to restrict cellphone use in schools. According to Education Week analysis, six of those state measures take effect this school year. In places where state laws don’t apply, individual districts have passed their own cellphone bans, including districts in Salt Lake City; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and multiple cities in Michigan.

It’s too early to tell whether these policies will be effective in increasing student engagement, but initial reports from Indiana seem promising.

Jadon says that since school started in late July, he hasn’t been on his phone during class. He plays sports and doesn’t want to risk getting in trouble.

Franklin, his mother, says her son is more mature now and that his personal development, combined with the new cellphone ban, has “really helped him in school and sports.”

At first, she says, her state’s new law seemed like government overreach. But the more she learned about the policy and the reasons behind it, the more she became convinced it would benefit teachers and students in the long run.

It is now easier for teachers to control phones

Brett Crousore is the principal of Lawrence North High School, located about a 20-minute drive north of Beech Grove.

“For the past 14 years as a school principal, I have not been doing a proper job of keeping phones away,” he says.

Crousore says that before the Indiana law took effect this summer, teachers set their own policies regarding cellphone use, meaning the rules varied from classroom to classroom.

October Stitt, a senior at Lawrence North, says the policy hasn’t always been effective.

“I saw my teachers constantly having to tell people to put their phones away, and people would just look at them and not listen,” October says.

Indiana’s law, which passed with bipartisan support, prohibits students from using wireless communication devices during school hours. There are exceptions for educational purposes, emergencies and for students who need their phones for medical or disability reasons. Schools must develop their own disciplinary procedures for violations.

Crousore says just as students need to be held accountable under the law, so too must teachers. He says he has visited classrooms to make sure devices are out of sight during classes.

“I look around the room and point to my ear (if I see headphones) or my cell phone on my desk, and the teacher gives me a thumbs up,” Crousore says.

At Beech Grove High School, where Jadon attends, students who use a phone or other device during class face a range of consequences, including a referral—essentially a note on a school file—and may be required to turn the phone in to a teacher by the end of the period.

Students at Lawrence North School face similar consequences for using their phones.

“I won’t say I needed someone to tell me to put my phone down,” says Taylor Smith, a senior at Lawrence North, “but I will say it helped a lot to have in the back of my mind, ‘Wait, this is illegal.’”

Taylor describes his relationship with his phone as “toxic” and a device he finds difficult to break free from.

“We grew up on our phones a lot,” he says. “A lot of the world was on our phones.”

Last year, when his cellphone would buzz during class, he would sometimes reach for it. Taylor says that under the new law, he no longer does that.

Lawrence North math teacher Jenny Guimont says, “My job becomes easier when I know the law is behind me—you know, I basically have something to support my message now.”

She says that in previous years, repeatedly telling students to unplug their devices exhausted her and cost her instructional time. She appreciates the new law because it brings uniformity to classrooms.

“It just gives you a sense of calm and allows you to focus on your day,” he says.

Laura Hammack, superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools, says she expected more resistance and disruption from students in response to the new law, but their response so far has been “absolutely incredible.”

“I think what we’re seeing is that students are almost relieved and the phone is almost a constant presence.”

Restricting access to the phone reduced the drama

Phones not only distract from academic pursuits; teachers and students say they also cause interpersonal conflict and contribute to poor mental health.

“At my school, it’s very common for people to just go online, post something and not talk about it in person at all,” said Amélie Perry, a third-year high school student at Lawrence North.

“There’s a lot of drama.”

Amélie says that much of the bullying that students experience happens online. “I think social media should definitely be restricted because it’s just not a good environment for mixing with school.”

But she doesn’t like the state’s cellphone law because she thinks it’s too strict. Amélie says the law should provide more flexibility so students can use their phones in a way that helps them learn.

Alexa Murray, a counselor at Beech Grove, says she has seen texts exchanged between students during classes escalate into destructive confrontations. Since the new law went into effect, she says, such incidents have become “fewer and fewer.”

“It might happen in the hallway… or it might happen during lunch, but it doesn’t happen during class,” Murray says.

The problem isn’t limited to school fights. Students told NPR that looking at their cellphones can change their entire mood.

“I’ve seen a lot of people suffer from depression because of (social media) and it just ruins your mental health, especially in high school,” said Erika Azocar, a sophomore at Lawrence North.

Teachers also experienced the same thing.

“Kids can be having a great day, open Instagram and see something, and then all of a sudden they get mad about something and it ruins their whole day,” says Carolyn Moen, a Spanish teacher at Lawrence North.

Students really miss their headphones

Many high school students NPR spoke with expressed one fundamental concern about Indiana’s cellphone laws.

“Last year, there wasn’t a moment during the day when I didn’t have headphones on to listen to something, and now I can’t listen to anything,” says Grace Wingfield, a senior at Beech Grove.

Students typically use their phones to listen to music, but in Indiana, that’s no longer allowed during school hours. Grace says music helps her stay focused during quiet schoolwork. Without it, she says, she has trouble concentrating.

“I think that’s the hardest part of this whole phone rule for me, just the lack of music.”

Many students shared Grace’s grief.

But Martin Barker, an instructor at Beech Grove, says headphones are a mixed bag.

“Some students, it completely blocks them out if they’re really distracted by the class,” she says. “But I have other students who absolutely love music that completely distracts them and they can’t focus on what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Barker believes the law will do more good than harm. Barker says that just a few weeks into the new school year, his students are more focused and he hasn’t had to remind them to put their devices away.

His colleague, Beech Grove English teacher Josie Defreese, says she’s noticed another benefit: “I feel like my classrooms are loud again.”

Last year, Defreese said, when her students had free time, their heads were buried in their phones and there was silence. This year, that changed.

“The kids turn to each other and talk, or they start drawing on my board or asking me questions about their homework, and the whole thing becomes much more lively and interactive,” she says.

Defreese hopes it stays that way.