Plans announced for bell-to-bell phone limits in Utah public schools. Here's what it means for your kids...

SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox announced plans to make bell-to-bell phone limits the default policy in all Utah public schools. The move aims to reduce classroom distractions and keep students focused on learning. The proposed policy would extend existing classroom bans to include hallways, lunch periods and passing time. President of the Policy Project, Emily Bell McCormick, has been a key player championing this new legislation. She shared what this policy actually means day-to-day in the classroom. “You may bring it to school, but even during lunch, during halls, passing classes, those things, we’re asking that kids keep their phones in their backpacks,” McCormick explained.

The change builds on legislation passed last year that removed cellphones from classrooms. According to McCormick, the feedback on that legislation has been overwhelmingly positive. “We’ve not had one teacher, one administrator, one student come to us and say like, ‘We’re so angry at you that you did this,’” she said. Instead, she said many school community members have responded with, “We wish we would have done this sooner.” Some parents have expressed concern about limiting access to their children during the day, but McCormick said it’s important to view cellphone limits in the same context as other age‑based rules. “We are very used to kids having rules,” she said. "We don't allow kids to drive before they're 16. We don't allow kids to purchase alcohol ... Putting a limit on this is absolutely appropriate.” She emphasized that it is not new to have rules around the lives of kids. Parents often don't realize all the harmful material that can be accessed on a smartphone. “Their brains are still developing,” McCormick said. "Most of us as parents would not say, 'Here's a paper magazine that has pornography in it,' right? And yet we give them something that's so much more dangerous, has much more ... inappropriate content." She explained that some Utah schools piloting bell‑to‑bell policies have reported shifts in their school culture beyond academics. “Attendance goes up,” McCormick said. "Misbehavior kind of goes really far down." One principal said the lunchroom has transformed from a silent place of scrolling to kids interacting with each other. “Kids are talking, kids are laughing, kids are playing games,” McCormick said. “Whereas it was a silent place with just scrolling before.” She said the goal of this policy is about more than just focus in class. “We want to give kids the chance to socialize in a normal, healthy way,” she said. If approved during the legislative session, Utah would join more than 20 other states adopting similar policies, reinforcing what advocates call a growing national standard for student cellphone use.