Politics & Government
Survey: New Hampshire Teachers Give Passing Grade To 'Bell-To-Bell' Cellphone Ban
79% of teachers said their school's cellphone policy was effective at reducing classroom distractions, according to the survey.
New Hampshire’s “bell-to-bell” classroom cellphone ban has earned strong marks from teachers, according to a survey of the state’s educators.
The survey, conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Education, included more than 1,000 teachers and 150 administrators. The results were good news for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who made banning cellphones in New Hampshire schools a central priority of her first term.
Find out what's happening in Across New Hampshirefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The ban on student cellphone use in K-12 schools took effect at the start of the 2025-26 school year. Teachers say it’s already improving the classroom environment.
Seventy-nine percent of teachers said their school’s cellphone policy was effective at reducing classroom distractions, according to the survey. Eighty-seven percent of administrators agreed.
Find out what's happening in Across New Hampshirefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When the ban was proposed, concerns were raised about compliance. Would it turn teachers into cellphone cops who spent all their time confiscating iPhones? According to the survey, that has not been an issue, with three out of four teachers reporting that students rarely or never use cellphones for non-instructional purposes in class.
And 55 percent of teachers said cellphones did not interfere with learning in their classrooms at all.
“Our effort to get cellphones out of the classroom is paying off, and I’m highly encouraged by the progress schools are reporting,” Ayotte said. “When classrooms are free from unnecessary distractions, teachers can focus on teaching, students are better able to learn, and we see students reading, talking and connecting with each other again.”
New Hampshire was among the first 10 states to pass legislation restricting cellphone use in classrooms, joining states that include Vermont and Maine. Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the only New England states that have not passed restrictions on classroom cellphone use.
The policy has earned praise from Republicans, Democrats, and even NEA-New Hampshire, the state’s largest teachers union.
“These early results demonstrate what’s possible when educators, school leaders, families, and lawmakers work together with a shared focus on student success,” NEA-New Hampshire President Megan Tuttle said.
Ayotte’s push for a cellphone ban began during her first week in office. The first-term governor cited social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” which argues that limiting children’s screen time and social media use leads to healthier outcomes.
“New Hampshire’s policy mandating bell-to-bell device separation will help bring conversation and laughter back to the hallways of schools across the state,” Haidt said earlier this year. “Social media is designed to steal the attention of kids and teens who are at pivotal stages of their mental development. The one place where we can truly safeguard their developing minds is schools.”
A recent study in Florida showed promising academic gains and fewer absences, but also a temporary spike in disciplinary problems related to increased enforcement.
Researchers at Stanford, Duke, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania found that the bans produced mixed results. While unauthorized phone use declined among students, the study found little evidence of improved academic performance or behavior.
“Average effects on standardized test scores are close to zero and precisely estimated, with similarly small and null effects on attendance, classroom attention, and perceived online bullying,” the study said.
The results in New Hampshire speak for themselves, teachers and administrators said.
Sixty-five percent of teachers said students have engaged more with one another during lunch or breaks since the new policy was introduced.
More than half of the teachers surveyed said they are witnessing lower rates of exclusion among students.
“The energy in classrooms has shifted, and we are hearing that students are more focused, engaged and connected,” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Caitlin Davis said. “It’s clear that the bell-to-bell policy is helping create more positive and vibrant school communities.
This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.
