Texas lawmakers are considering legislation that would restrict students’ use of smartphones at school.
House Bill 1481 by State Rep. Caroline Fairly (R–Amarillo) would require public school districts to adopt policies that prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time.
A majority of House members support the proposed law. The bill’s list of co-authors has topped 75, including more than 20 Democrats.
Fairly explained the measure to members of the House Public Education Committee during a hearing on Tuesday.
She said the goal is for phones to be “up and away so students can focus.”
“We want our kids to focus on academics such as math, science, and reading. And the reality is these phones, they’re a distraction,” said Fairly. “We’ve seen in schools that do ban phones, test scores do increase.”
She said students’ mental health is another issue addressed by the measure.
“Studies show that the constant use of phones and social media is leading to a mental health crisis, and in fact, schools cite growing incidences of cyberbullying due to these phones,” Fairly told the committee.
She said restricting students’ cell phone access will also help with classroom management, noting that 72 percent of U.S. teachers report that phones being out is a barrier to their teaching success.
Fairly emphasized that school districts will maintain “local control” to decide specific rules and determine punishment for students who violate the no-phones policies.
“We are allowing local control,” said Fairly. “The phones have to be up and away during instructional hours, but the school districts can decide how extreme they want to make it.”
Policies could range from prohibiting phones on campus to providing secure storage areas in classrooms—an option required by Fairly’s legislation—or simply requiring students to keep devices in their backpacks during class time.
“There’s a lot of freedom for the district to decide how they implement that,” she added.
Several parents, students, and teachers testified on HB 1481. Most spoke in favor of the ban, stating that smartphones are a problem and should be out of sight during class time.
Texas mom and anti-bullying advocate Maurine Molak testified in favor of HB 1481.
Her son David Molak died by suicide after enduring relentless online harassment and was the inspiration for David’s Law, enacted in 2017 to combat cyberbullying in Texas schools.
Molak co-founded David’s Legacy Foundation to advocate against cyberbullying, sextortion, and online addiction.
She noted the addictive nature of smartphones and similar devices.
“There is no doubt in my mind that access to these personal devices during the school day is impacting the health and well-being of students and disrupting learning,” she said.
While nothing—including this bill—will completely inoculate our kids from harm, HB 1481 does take positive steps to mitigate harm, because an ‘up and away for the day’ policy helps ensure that these types of unsafe behaviors are not perpetuated during the school day.
Liana Vincent, a Texas mom, teacher, and certified school counselor, also testified for HB 1481.
Vincent linked a dramatic rise in preteen suicides to increasing exposure to unregulated smartphones and social media.
“I lost my own son to suicide, and saw firsthand the effects of online harms on the adolescent brain,” she testified. “Too much time spent on smartphones and social media alone, and the pressure to do so, causes self-harm, depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety.”
Vincent said HB 1481 “gives us phone-free schools bell to bell, K through 12” and would “give school boards, administrators, and teachers the support they need in the schools and in the classrooms in Texas.”
Texas parent and conservative radio show host Matt Long testified that he supports the bill but is concerned it takes over local decision-making.
“It’s become apparent that many of the school boards lack some of the backbone to do what it takes to get those rules and regulations enforced, so if the state were to come along and say ‘during instructional time, the state is saying you can’t do it,’ I think that would help local school boards and school districts,” said Long. “But I think the implementation needs to be left up to locals.”
About 20 Texas school districts have already adopted policies to limit students’ cell phone use in class, including Richardson, Grand Prairie, Killeen, Katy, and Keller—where parents were split over the decision.
Texas Scorecard readers who responded to a survey last August also reported mixed opinions about restricting students’ access to cell phones at school.
Advocates said the move removes a major source of distraction in the classroom, while opponents said it interferes with parents’ right to monitor their children.
With more than half of House members signed on to support HB 1481, the proposal is likely to pass. A companion measure, Senate Bill 2365 by State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) has 10 co-authors including two Democrats.
“At the end of the day, this bill is about ensuring that our kids can focus so that our teachers can teach,” concluded Fairly.
HB 1481 was left pending in committee.
