New Jersey Schools Prepare for Statewide Cellphone Ban
On Thursday, Jan. 22, New Jersey became one of the latest states in the nation to limit students’ cellphone use during the school day. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation…
On Thursday, Jan. 22, New Jersey became one of the latest states in the nation to limit students' cellphone use during the school day.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that mandates that the state education commission and local school boards create guidelines for the use of cellphones in schools for grades K-12. The new law now requires a ban on non-academic uses of internet-connected devices, including smartphones, during the school day.
Murphy, who is finishing out the remaining days of his second term as governor, said he originally asked for the ban last year.
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"We're going to rid our classrooms of needless distractions," Murphy said during the news announcement, "and encourage our children to be more attentive, engaged during the school day."
According to ABC6, the ban will go into effect beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
New Jersey joins 37 states and the District of Columbia in enacting rules that limit the non-scholarly use of a cellphone and other electronic device in schools. As ABC6 reports, phones are banned throughout the school day in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Georgia and Florida, however, enforce the "bell-to-bell" bans only for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
In Cape May County, schools like Cape Tech and others have taken the lead on cellphone crackdowns ahead of the recent passage of statewide legislation.
Steven Vitiello, Cape Tech's principal, told The Cape May County Herald that the school banned cellphones in its classrooms after spring break last year. According to Vitiello, phones need to be entirely out of sight, either stored in a student's backpack or placed in a caddy at the front of the classroom.
Amelia Worthington, a senior at Cape Tech, reported a positive change in the school culture following the ban.
“Before, people always had their heads down or were walking to class while on their phones. Kids would walk into class while texting, or maybe they were doomscrolling," she told the Cape May County Herald. “I see more people actually talking to each other now."
