Student cellphone use could be limited in Maryland schools under proposed bill

Maryland schools may soon be able to limit student cellphone use under a proposed bill. 

The Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, sponsored by Del. Adrian Boago and Sen. Kevin Harris, would go into effect during the 2027-28 school year if it passes the state House and Senate and is signed into law by the governor. 

The legislation would prohibit cellphone use in public schools during instructional periods, citing the effects of excessive cellphone use on academic performance, social development and mental wellness. 

The measure would allow cellphone use for educational purposes, student health needs and school emergencies. 

"Schools are to be centers of learning and social development, where our children learn how to connect and communicate effectively with one another, cultivate lasting friendships, and acquire the necessary skills to excel in today's global economy," Boafo said in a statement. "Experience and data have shown that it is simply becoming impossible to offer such personal enrichment when students are glued to their phones all day."

Limiting cellphone use in schools 

Boafo sponsored a similar House bill during last year's legislative session. The bill failed to pass.

The bill cites a 2023 Gallup survey that found 51% of children between the ages of 10 and 19 spend at least four hours each day on social media, which can lead to poor academic performance, distraction, cyberbullying and higher rates of anxiety and depression. 

According to the bill, a 2024 Pew Research Center poll found that 72% of high school teachers in the U.S. consider cellphone use in classrooms as a "major problem." 

Under the bill, students would be able to use their cellphones in class to access language translation tools, for family caregiving responsibilities, to monitor health issues, or when authorized for educational reasons.

School cellphone bans 

According to the legislation, 35 states and Washington, D.C., currently have laws or policies to address or ban phone use in schools. 

Several school districts in Maryland have implemented similar cellphone rules in recent years. 

In April 2025, the Baltimore City school board voted to implement a cellphone policy after testing measures at 25 different schools and getting feedback from community members. 

The district's cellphone policy also limits the use of tablets, laptops, wireless headphones and smart watches, dictating that devices must be turned off and put away during the school day. The measure went into effect at the start of the 2025-26 school year. 

Howard County schools continued their cellphone ban for the 2025-26 school year after implementing it in March 2025. 

Their policy requires that all cellphones and personal devices be silenced and out of sight during the day. The device is confiscated until the end of the day after a first offense. 

Harford County schools updated their cellphone policy for the 2025-26 school year after a deadly shooting prompted safety concerns the year before. 

Under the policy, elementary school students are required to deactivate and store all personal devices in their backpacks. Middle school students are required to leave devices in their lockers, and high school students must deactivate phones during class time. 

The policy also applies to tablets, Bluetooth headphones and handheld gaming consoles.