Following national trend, New Hampshire House votes to ban cell phones from schools

• The bill, HB 781, passed the House unanimously on the consent calendar Thursday.
• Sponsored by Rep. Melissa Litchfield, R-Brentwood, the bill would require school districts to adopt policies “establishing a cell phone free education.”
• According to an October 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 68% of U.S. adults support a ban on middle and high schools students using cellphones in class.

The New Hampshire House voted to ban cell phones from schools on Thursday, adding to the issue’s momentum in the state and across the country.

Sponsored by Rep. Melissa Litchfield, R-Brentwood, the bill would require school districts to adopt policies “establishing a cell phone free education.” It directs schools to restrict cell phone use during class instructional time, with exceptions for student medical, disability, or language needs. It would also set aside $250,000 in state funding to reimburse schools for the implementation of such policies.

The bill, HB 781, passed the House unanimously on the consent calendar Thursday. It will now go to the Finance committee before heading to the Senate.

HB 781 is one of a few bills that seek to ban or limit the use of cell phones in schools currently moving through the state legislature. All have been received positively in the House and the Senate, and Gov. Kelly Ayotte has also voiced support for such a measure.

This rare bipartisan support has been seen both in New Hampshire and across the United States. Both Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, have vocally supported keeping cellphones out of class time. According to an October 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 68% of U.S. adults support a ban on middle and high schools students using cellphones in class.

Nine states already have enacted such bans, including both Arkansas and California, and many others, like New Hampshire, are considering bans this year.

Why does New Hampshire want to ban cell phones from schools?

Those in favor of limiting cell phone use in schools cite the impact screen time has on children’s mental health as well as how the phones act as a distraction in class.

“Screens are negatively impacting our learning environments, drawing students' attention away from their classes, and becoming a barrier for teachers to do their jobs,” said Ayotte in a post on X. “No more.”

Rep. Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, is sponsoring HB 131, another bill that would ban cell phones from class time. He said the bill would help address the decline in students’ attention spans and force them to interact more with each other.

“Used to be it was a great social experience,” said Ladd of school during a hearing. “Kids were yanking around with each other, having fun, talking to each other, looking at the whites of the eyes. Now what are they looking at? The white of the cellphone.”

Teachers who testified said that removing phones from class led to better scores. Advocates have pointed out other dangers cell phones pose, such as cyberbullying and sexually explicit content. And even eighth grader Cameron Marvin testified in a hearing that that his school in Pelham is more peaceful now after it banned cellphone use during class time. 

What are the arguments against banning cell phones?

Some parents have raised safety concerns over cell phone bans, saying they need to be able to contact their children in case of emergencies. Many students also don’t like the idea, some putting together petitions to overturn bans already in place.

Others say that state governments should not implement sweeping bans, but let individual communities decide whether to allow cellphones in classes. It could be better to teach kids responsible cell phone use like they’ll have to practice as adults, some say.

Another reason against legislated bans is because cellphones can be used as a learning tool in districts where students don’t have laptops. However, the money provided in Litchfield’s bill might give some assistance to schools wanting to buy technology such as Chromebooks to make up for the ban.

What states already have bans?

While policies and implementation dates vary, at least nine states have already enacted measures banning or restricting cell phone use in schools.

Those states include Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia—a mix of red and blue states.

What states are also considering bans?

In addition to New Hampshire, at least a dozen other states are considering policies to restrict cellphones.

They include neighboring Vermont, as well as Texas, North Carolina, and Arizona.