WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 11, 2026 – Once considered a national leader for passing the nation’s first statewide cellphone ban, Florida is now the only U.S. state to exclude high schoolers from its law’s protections. State lawmakers originally passed an instructional time ban in 2023, amending the policy in 2025 to be bell-to-bell for K-8.
A recent study published in Education Next examining the effects of Florida's cellphone restrictions found that bell-to-bell phone-free schools laws improved student outcomes, reducing student cellphone use during the school day and was associated with better test scores and fewer absences.
“Florida students shouldn't lose the proven benefits of phone-free schools once they get to high school,” said Emily Rapp, policy director for the Institute for Families and Technology.
“Sunshine state lawmakers can look to neighboring Georgia, which just extended its bell-to-bell law through 12th grade,” said Deb Schmill, founder of the Becca Schmill Foundation.
Florida initially received a “B” grade on the national Phone-Free Schools State Report Card, despite having a bell-to-bell ban only through 8th grade.
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About the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card
Launched in 2026, the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card is published by leading child safety and well-being organizations, including The Anxious Generation Movement, Smartphone Free Childhood US, Institute for Families and Technology, and Becca Schmill Foundation. The report evaluates whether the laws in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., meet the gold standard for phone-free schools: policies requiring all students to store their personal electronic devices in secure, inaccessible locations for the entire school day (bell-to-bell).