(The Center Square) – A little less than 10% of Wisconsin school districts have no restrictions on cell phone use while 43.4% only allow their use in high school and middle school common areas, according to a new report from Wisconsin Policy Forum.
The state’s smaller school districts often have stricter cell phone rules than large districts, the analysis showed.
https://wispolicyforum.org/research/wisconsin-could-join-call-for-change-on-cell-phones-in-schools/
The Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill in February that would ban cell phones during instructional time in all Wisconsin public schools but Assembly Bill 2 has not yet been taken up by the Senate.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/ab2
Currently, 26.2% of Wisconsin school districts said their policies permit phones only in high school common areas while 20.7% of districts or schools have a full cell phone ban.
There are 19 states that had statewide cellphone bans or restrictions that were in place as of April 30, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Legislation has been introduced related to statewide rules in 16 more states.
“While surveys show – and our interviews with school officials suggest – that cell phone restrictions in schools are popular, not all students and parents are on board,” the report concludes. “Districts and state lawmakers would be well-advised to better understand these objections as they craft new cell phone policies or tweak existing ones.”
A Pew Research study showed that 68% of U.S. adults would support a cell phone ban during class for middle and high school students.
The survey additional showed that just 45% of those ages 18 to 29 support a cell phone ban during class while 67% of those 30-49 support a classroom ban and 80% of those 50 and older support the ban.
“Limiting the use of students’ cell phones in schools may seem like an easy decision to some, but it marks just the start of a journey toward a larger goal,” the report says. “In our digital age, Wisconsin students must move into adulthood with the skills needed to command both their attention spans and their use of digital technology.”
