School districts in Michigan and across the country have adopted various policies to limit student cellphone use. However, we still don't know enough about how these policies affect academic outcomes and student wellbeing. YPL is working with researchers at U-M and other universities to answer these pressing questions.
Michigan School Cellphone Policy Study
Funders: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Spencer Foundation
This study looks at how cellphone policies differ across school districts, the factors that impact their implementation, and their impacts on community violence (fights in school, school discipline, and police incidents) as well as a range of mental health, wellbeing, and academic outcomes. The research team is using data analysis, surveys, interviews, and focus groups to develop evidence-based recommendations.
In Spring 2026, we published the first landscape analysis of district cellphone policies in Michigan. While nearly all districts had a policy in place, there were differences in how phones were restricted and when they were restricted. Our research is continuing with interviews with district and school leaders, statewide surveys, parent and student focus groups, and engagement with our advisory board.
National School Cellphone Policy Study
Funders: Smith Richardson Foundation and Arnold Ventures
Working with partners from Duke, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania, the national cellphone policy team has explored the impact of school cellphone policies on academic outcomes and student wellbeing. We looked at data from Yondr, a company that makes cellphone-blocking pouches for schools, to understand how these pouches affect student outcomes.
Our initial findings are mixed:
- There are short term disruptions in school discipline and student wellbeing. Disciplinary incidents eventually fall as positive student wellbeing increases in later years.
- Average effects on test scores are consistently close to zero. High schools see modest positive effects, particularly in math, while middle schools see small negative effects.
- We find little evidence that the policies affect attendance, students' reports of classroom attention, or perceived online bullying.
Our team continues to examine key questions facing educators on how restrictions outside of pouches (i.e., phones in lockers or centrally collected phones) impact student outcomes.
We are also analyzing data from Monitoring the Future (MTF), a long running, national survey of student beliefs, attitudes, and behavior, as well as several other sources to study how cellphone restrictions may affect academic achievement, school engagement, behavior, chronic absenteeism, and students' social and emotional well-being.
In addition to our research, YPL convened researchers, practitioners, and policy makers at a National School Cellphone Policy Conference in April at U-M. This event provided a platform to share research findings, as well as discuss insights from Michigan schools and the national landscape.