Michigan’s cell phone ban may seem like a return to the Stone Age, but it’s a step forward for classroom learning

A version of this column originally appeared in The Alpena News.

Bipartisan collaboration and support have resulted in some important and necessary legislation to move forward that will help our kids learn: commonly referred to as the “cell phone ban” bills. With these bills, Michigan will join over half of states in adopting similar restrictions. 

The legislation requires that school districts develop a plan to eliminate student cell phone use during instructional time and requires districts to define if and how students may use their cell phones during an emergency. Districts will have control over how strict they make their policies. Some may choose to ban cell phones from the start to the end of the school day while others may allow cell phone use during lunch or passing times. These bills come at a time when concern for Michigan’s educational performance and the well-being of our kids is high.

My teaching career began back in 2010, a technological time that might as well have been the Stone Age to teens today. I remember showing off my very first iPhone to my high school students and hearing them marvel at the device with a touch screen and only one button (thumb print ID and facial recognition were still features of the future). Much changed during my tenure in the classroom, like the creation of the distraction-inducing Fortnite mobile, and much has continued to change since I joined the public policy world. Chromebooks are the new pen and paper, and artificial intelligence — and therefore the answers to seemingly everything — is at students’ fingertips. At the same time, Michigan is ranked 44th in the nation in education, we’re lagging in post-pandemic learning recovery, and nearly more than 1 in 6 kids and teens report suffering from anxiety and depression.  

There is no doubt that righting Michigan’s educational ship will involve more than limiting technological distractions in classrooms. However, many teachers, including those who have reduced or eliminated technology in their classrooms, agree that it is one important piece of the puzzle. One teacher with over 30 years of experience has a cell phone basket so that students’ phones are out of reach but in sight if they are needed for an emergency. She has found that returning to the “Stone Age” also meant the return of typical teenage conversation and laughter in her classroom. A Gen Z teacher who attended school during the technological boom has noticed that constant access to technology has made it difficult for students to engage in work that involves problem solving. While teachers may have the ability to set their own classroom rules surrounding phone use, district policies will take this classroom management task off teachers’ plates. 

The phone ban is part of a broader push for youth tech policy in Lansing. The Kids Over Clicks legislative package championed by lawmakers, educators, and child advocacy groups includes proposals targeting social media transparency, age verification, and platform safety for minors. The bills strengthen parental controls and prohibit targeted advertising to children under a specified age. Kids Over Clicks legislation complements the school cell phone ban by addressing out-of-school exposures that shape attention, mental health and social development. 

While we recognize that technological advancement is not all bad and can assist students in learning when used appropriately, we do think that turning back the clock on cell phones in classrooms will restore something we’ve quietly lost in our schools: attention, focus and space to think free from the allure of answers from artificial intelligence. By limiting their use in schools and addressing harmful online practices beyond it, Michigan is beginning to draw clearer boundaries around how technology shows up in young people’s lives. These boundaries may help teachers across the state hear the joy of their students’ connection and laughter in their classrooms.