Georgia is one step closer to joining a growing list of states that are banning students from using cellphones during the school day.
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday that would prohibit public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade from using cellphones during the school day. If the Senate also gives its stamp of approval, districts statewide will have to figure out how they plan to enforce the ban, which would affect more than 1 million kids.
House Bill 340 means “bell to bell, no cell,” said the bill’s sponsor State Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners.
“It’s time we get back to the teachers teaching and the kids learning,” Hilton said Tuesday. “Let’s get the cellphones out of the classrooms.”
The bill, called the Distraction-Free Education Act, would prohibit public school students from accessing personal electronic devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and headphones, during the school day. Students with disabilities or a medical need would be allowed to access their devices. The rules would go into effect in July 2026.
School systems may purchase cellphone pouches that stay with students but can only be unlocked by staff, put cellphone lockers in classrooms or designate a place for students to put their devices, or implement another way to prevent students from accessing their devices.
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
A number of schools in metro Atlanta — including Midtown High School, middle schools in Marietta and a selection of schools in DeKalb County — have been testing out cellphone bans this year. So far, they like it.
Parents, administrators and teachers have reported that kids are more engaged and are having fewer behavior problems during the school day. Students have mixed feelings about the new rules.
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera said that the program was going so well at the middle school level, that he felt compelled to consider expanding to the high school level.
“Nobody wanted mandatory seat belts in cars either,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in December.
Though the bill is specific to grades K-8, Hilton said it’s up to local school systems to decide if an expanded program would work best for them.
At least eight states — including California, Florida and South Carolina — have enacted measures banning or restricting students’ use of cellphones in schools, The Associated Press reported. More than a dozen more are currently considering a ban.
Some Georgia state senators have already expressed interest in the cellphone ban. The Senate Committee on Children and Families heard from experts, including Rivera, in February.
“We’ve got one bill in play on the House side,” said Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, the committee chair at the time. “I’m sure there may be more bills forthcoming … so stay tuned.”
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