New Jersey Moves to Restrict Student Cellphone Use
Legislation approved by both chambers of New Jersey's legislature on Monday aims to significantly limit students' access to cellphones and smartwatches during school hours. The bill, which received broad bipartisan support, is now awaiting action from Governor Phil Murphy.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) explained the rationale behind the measure: "Students benefit from having a bell-to-bell prohibition on cellphones. I think it's that clear and that simple, and I think that's what we did today."
Mental Health and Learning Environment Concerns
Proponents of the legislation point to growing evidence that unrestricted device access negatively impacts student mental health and classroom concentration. The bill passed with overwhelming majorities in both legislative bodies.
Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-Monmouth), a former school board member and bill supporter, noted: "The data is pretty clear. It's been screaming at us that we have to do something about it." She added that in schools with existing restrictions, students appeared less anxious and more engaged with their academic work.
Implementation Timeline and Guidelines
If signed into law, the Department of Education would have 90 days to develop comprehensive guidelines prohibiting non-academic use of internet-enabled devices during regular school hours. These regulations would apply to all public, charter, and renaissance schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The guidelines must include provisions for age-appropriate restrictions, compliance with existing accommodation laws, emergency protocols, and exceptions for educational purposes such as translation services. Schools would receive recommendations for implementing network-based social media blocks and could allow students to store devices in secure locations during the day.
The new rules would take effect at the beginning of the following full school year, meaning the earliest implementation would be the 2026-2027 academic year.
Opposition and National Context
Not all lawmakers supported the measure. Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-Morris) criticized the approach, arguing that technology regulation should remain with local school districts rather than state legislators. He compared the bill to previous attempts to restrict classroom technology, stating: "Here's another attempt to do that. And this isn't the first, or second, or third time. Calculators back in the day were going to make kids stupid. How could they do basic math?"
New Jersey's action reflects a broader national trend, with nearly half of U.S. states now implementing some form of classroom phone restrictions. Governor Murphy, who leaves office on January 20 after two terms, has identified school cellphone bans as a priority for his final year in office.
