Newly-signed Maryland bill aims to restrict students' use of cellphones during school hours

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill into law on Tuesday that will restrict students' use of cellphones and other personal devices in public schools.

The Maryland Phone Free Schools Act requires every local board of education to adopt policies to go into effect starting in the 2027-28 school year. It would restrict students' use of cellphones, laptops, and other devices, and also ban access to social media during school hours.

The new law allows cellphone use for educational purposes, student health needs, and school emergencies. According to the bill, it would be up to each district to determine how such bans would be enforced.

However, the legislation prohibits a student from being suspended or expelled solely for violations of the policy.

In March, a report by Education Week showed that at least 36 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict the use of cellphones for students in schools.

Cellphone policies at Baltimore-area schools

Some school districts in Maryland have already taken proactive measures to restrict students' use of cellphones in school

Howard County Public Schools adopted a policy in 2025. that requires all cellphones and other personal tech devices to be out of sight and silenced during the school day. 

After the first offence, a device is confiscated until the end of the school day. If a student is caught with a device anytime after, it will be confiscated until their parent or guardian can pick it up. 

The Baltimore City school board approved a cellphone policy after testing measures at 25 different schools and getting feedback from community members. 

The district's cellphone policy limits the use of tablets, laptops, wireless headphones and smart watches, and that the devices must be turned off and put away during the school day. T

Harford County schools changed 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.