{"id":3661,"date":"2026-07-14T15:09:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3661"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:09:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:09:45","slug":"opinion-the-stark-difference-between-classrooms-with-and-without-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3661","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: The stark difference between classrooms with and without phones"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Several teachers quietly shuffled into the classroom, clipboards in hand, on a Learning Walk. It was the 2024-25 school year, and we were observing student learning and engagement to identify best practices. Despite the young teacher giving effective direct instruction, the student in front of me, iPhone in hand, was scrolling Amazon in search of new tires. I bent down and asked him what he was learning that day. I received a glare in place of a response. As I surveyed the class, I could see that he was not alone. Several other students were on their phones, oblivious to their teacher, who was hustling for their attention. <\/p>\n

Read more 2025 was Utah\u2019s hottest on record. 2026 is on track to be even hotter<\/a><\/p>\n

That scene was common just a year ago. Today, it feels increasingly rare.<\/p>\n

I am a high school instructional coach and teacher in southern Utah, and I am in classrooms frequently. The difference between the 2024-25 school year and this past year, our first with SB178: Devices in Public Schools in effect, has been notable. Many educators in my school could see the distraction that devices caused and had been asking students to put phones away or place them in a designated area. However, some teachers were hesitant. As a result, I observed students filming reels during instructional time, scrolling social media, texting, taking selfies, gaming and watching sports on YouTube. The inconsistency was frustrating for both students and teachers, and student engagement varied drastically from classroom to classroom. <\/p>\n

In January 2024, Gov. Spencer Cox wrote a memo to teachers, encouraging them to remove phones from their classrooms. That initiated momentum. But the passage of SB178, which limited devices during instructional time, was a game changer. Now, districts, administrators and teachers had the backing of a state law. <\/p>\n

A growing body of research points to the detrimental effects of excessive phone use on student attention and learning. Jonathan Haidt\u2019s \u201cThe Anxious Generation\u201d brought many of these conversations into the mainstream alongside years of peer-reviewed research. A state law that validated the actions of many teachers, and set a clear policy for any reluctant ones, has had a positive impact on our schools.<\/p>\n

Throughout the 2025-26 school year, I had countless classroom observations. The emphasis in my school is on creating learners with the clarity, focus and determination to engage in the productive struggle of learning. This is vitally important work. As I visited classrooms, I felt the tangible, almost electric feeling of collaboration, rich discussion and excitement. I saw far more smiles on teachers\u2019 faces and students really thinking and working. When asked, many students could clearly articulate what they were learning and why. Teachers largely expressed relief that a device policy exists. Many students told me that they could finally focus, pay attention and that classes were more fun. <\/p>\n

Read more Utah\u2019s data center fight pits industry against conservation<\/a><\/p>\n

However, other students didn\u2019t understand the \u201cwhy\u201d of this policy. They were concerned, and rightly so, about emergencies, the anxiety of not having a phone in hand, and whether this was just another way for adults to take away their freedom. Those concerns deserve real answers, and there are resources to help anyone who works with our youth provide them. The Policy Project, a Utah-based nonprofit that championed both SB178 and SB69, created a free tool kit to help parents, educators and students understand the research behind phone-free schools and successfully implement these policies. The Phone-Free Schools Movement also provides resources and research on how phones affect learning. Schools should share emergency procedures with students, including the ability to contact emergency personnel immediately if needed.<\/p>\n

This upcoming school year, Utah takes the next step with SB69: School Device Revisions. It builds on the foundation of SB178 by encouraging districts to adopt phone-free policies for the full school day, not just instructional time.<\/p>\n

As SB69 rolls out, parents and educators should be transparent with students about why this is happening. We shouldn\u2019t present these policies as taking something away. We should present them as giving something back: attention, curiosity, conversation and the ability to think deeply, solve problems and truly connect. In a world increasingly shaped by AI and endless digital distraction, those may be the most valuable gifts we can give our students.<\/p>\n

Read more With Graham\u2019s death, is the age of the Republican hawk fading?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A growing body of research points to the detrimental effects of excessive phone use on student attention and learning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion: The stark difference between classrooms with and without phones - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3661\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: The stark difference between classrooms with and without phones - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A growing body of research points to the detrimental effects of excessive phone use on student attention and learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3661\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-14T15:09:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"Opinion: The stark difference between classrooms with and without phones\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T15:09:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661\"},\"wordCount\":743,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2248c3d807b073fb691ae4d516240e25.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guest Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=3661\",\"name\":\"Opinion: The stark difference between classrooms with and without phones - 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