Oregon governor Tina Kotek made an executive order to ban all use of personal devices in K-12 schools. Since July 2025, there have been 197 schools that have implemented “bell to bell” rules prohibiting cell phone use. Parents, teachers, and students all seem to have very mixed feelings. Obviously, I am a student, and my mom happens to be a teacher, so I truly have looked at it from all perspectives. I believe there’s many reasons teenagers need direct access to contacts at school.
This law was put in place to reduce distraction, cyberbullying, increase academic performance, and to encourage social interaction. As a junior in high school, I think kids will always find a way around rules. Now teens are bringing burner phones to school, using Apple Watches to communicate, or just straight up arguing with admin, leading to more distraction. Teenagers just need to be taught how to regulate use and responsibly use their device.
A concern brought up by many is how this ban affects students who struggle with mental health or require additional assistance in school. As a student with a chronic illness and anxiety, not being able to get in touch with my mom when I need help, makes education exhausting. Lots of my 504 plan accommodations have had to be changed or fully removed due to the law. Also, many children simply need their phones to feel safe in crowded environments. Being three clicks away from a “I need to go home” or “I need help” is so much simpler than leaving class, going to the office, and calling your parents on the office phone. Students may need to contact parents for forgotten items, like homework or lunch money. I think all of these are very valid, and children should have open communication with parents while stuck at school for eight hours a day.
Years before the ban, many teachers integrated phones into their lessons, using them for activities like scanning QR codes, submitting assignments, or emailing classwork. Our generation has learned and grown up benefiting from our phones. Attempting to steer kids away from using helpful devices just ends up creating issues for teachers.
Overall, I do not think the apparent pros outweigh the cons. This phone ban in no way benefits older kids, who should be the main target when setting these major school laws. High school is our prime years of education and the ban affects us the most. If we are just years or months from being adults, we should be treated as such and expected to handle our own cell phones.
