It seems as if the only school rules we hear about lately are those relating to our phones, as the district rolls out a new phone policy requiring their complete removal from students’ persons during class. It feels like such limitations are coming from all around us, but surprisingly, they are in fact missing from the people who are expected to have the greatest impact on this: Our state and federal governments.
Currently, neither the U.S. nor the State of Washington has successfully enacted laws relating to student phone use, instead having left this issue to individual school districts. This approach has been generally successful. In a December 2024 School Pulse Panel Survey, 77% of all public schools have a policy prohibiting phone use in class, though the number decreases to 55% in high schools.
Federal lawmakers have dedicated their efforts towards legislation to nationally mandate phone bans. On April 7, 2025, US Rep. Eugene Vindman (D) introduced H.R. 2700, or the UNPLUGGED Act, into Congress. The act sought to mandate all states to institute a “…policy that [completely] prohibits student possession or use of personal electronic devices […] in public schools during school hours” (HR 2700). The act was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, where committee members opted to kill the bill and prevent its moving through to a full vote.
2025 has also seen a massive wave of state-level legislation. 21 states have passed legislation to address phone use, while two others, Oregon and Virginia, have done so via executive orders by their governors, bypassing legislation. Washington remains a state that issues recommendations for school districts to institute phone bans; “a vast majority (75%)” of them have phone policies, according to State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.
Earlier this year, Washington State legislators Marko Liias and Stephanie McClintock, among others, sponsored a twin set of laws, SB 5346 and HB 1122, which would have ordered the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to report existing policies relating to phone use, and to develop a statewide plan to be implemented starting with the 2026-27 school year. However, similarly to the UNPLUGGED Act, these bills were killed in committee shortly after being introduced.
For more information:
OSPI: Majority of Washington School Districts Restricting Cell Phones and Smart Devices at School
