In Providence classrooms, students and teachers are getting accustomed to the state law banning personal electronic devices—including cell phones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches—which went into effect on August 1, 2026.
At Brown University on Wednesday, University of Michigan Professor Brian Jacob presented evidence from one of the largest studies analyzing the impacts of these pouches and offering important lessons for Rhode Island districts looking to enforce the state's new school device ban.
In the study published in May by the National Bureau of Economic Research, scientists dissected data from the phone pouch company Yondr, cell phone providers and standardized test scores across the country.
Overall, they found that the adoption of Yondr pouches in schools does reduce phone time but that the pouches alone do not necessarily translate to greatly improved academic outcomes. Though phone bans aim to improve education, the study warns that putting down your phone does not necessarily mean picking up a textbook.
"What they substitute is key. If they substitute being on their phone with being honed in and paying attention to every single word the chemistry teacher says, maybe their [academic] achievement would improve," said Professor Jacob. "If they substitute focusing on their phone with focusing on the kid next to them, or focusing on the baseball game they have after school, it's not clear their academic outcomes would improve as much."
Taken away from personal devices, students might turn to other activities—such as getting into mischief. Across the U.S., schools that implemented Yondr locked pouches saw increases in disciplinary actions in the short-term, but those discipline effects faded over time. Researchers acknowledged that the policy on phones itself is a new rule that could lead to increased conflict as student populations adjust, but they also wonder if the rule releases bundles of teenage energy that can lead to unexpected behavior.
"One of the phenomena we might think might be going on, the kids who are no longer kind of anesthetized on their phones… now interact with their peers," said Jacob. "And you have 15-year-olds interacting with each other, and they can get into trouble sometimes."
On the other hand, the study found student well-being was reduced immediately after being removed from their devices, possibly as a result of anxiety or the loss of social connections online. However, this too improved over time. One audience member wondered if this is similar to detoxing from an addictive substance, which causes short-term hardship for long-term stabilization.
"We need to do more work," said Jacob, who remained skeptical of overpromising on the pouch policy's effectiveness. "I'm hoping it's there."
The study found that the pouches did not have meaningful impacts on academics or bullying, two of the largest reasons legislators advanced the device ban in Rhode Island classrooms. Legislators said devices caused harm to student learning and mental health, citing that several RI nonprofits declared a state of emergency for children's mental health in 2022.
See full story by Eric Halvarson in The Providence Eye
