Utah’s legislature passed a law that went into effect in July 2025 titled S.B.178 Devices in Public Schools which prohibits students from using their phone during instructional time, This does not include passing periods, lunch periods, or after school sports or activities.
Utah has been working on adding restrictions on cell phone use for some time now. As Governor Spencer Cox has been supporting these laws—even supporting a full-day ban across the state—He claims, “Every piece of evidence shows that we must pass a full-day ban or risk damaging our kids even more,” according to KSL.
This law was a huge topic at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Some students disagree with the law, and others agree with it. All students were still putting their phones in their backpacks at the beginning of class, per the teacher’s instructions.
But, now that we are 3 months deep into the law actually taking effect, and we are a quarter deep into the school year, how is this law holding up? How has it affected classrooms this school year? How has it changed learning and social environments? Do people still feel the same way now that they have actually experienced it?
Students are the center of this law. They are the ones impacted. When the law passed in Utah, there was a lot of talk throughout the state, reported on social media and news networks. How have students been handling it?
There are a lot of mixed responses towards this law among students. Some say it is useful, stating it allows them to focus during instructional time and feel more social and connected to their classmates.
“My phone has been negatively impacting my school work because I barely do it sometimes,“ says Junior Batoul Soueidan. She adds, “People do focus better in class because if they don’t have their phones on them, they won’t have that reflex to just pick it up and go on it. They will find a different thing to do, which is doing their schoolwork.”
Students have also reported feeling more connected socially with the law passing.
“Without phones, people talk to their classmates more,” says junior Charlotte DeWidt. Without their phones, students don’t have anything to do, and it pushes them to interact with their class more. This brings some benefits to students, helping them cope with their social anxiety, as well as making the school more connected as a whole.
There are also other students who are not in agreement with the law at all. They feel the law is hurtful and does not affect the way they learn at all. “It only motivates students to use their phones more and be more sneaky about it.” says junior Mina Tran. According to The New York Times, some students say they had some brief relief going on their phone in between classes so they can focus better. Students also say that with the ban, they worry that they will not be able to contact their parents during an emergency.
Another issue students had concerns about was social factors. “I know some states have laws that ban phones at lunch, not in Utah, but either way, it negatively impacts introverted people who don’t have friends because they are sitting at lunch and they don’t have anything to do,” says Souiedan. Although it holds space for everyone to socialize, forcing people to communicate on a level they are not comfortable with can harm students’ social life in the future.
Students are the ones impacted by the law, but administration is the one enforcing it and putting it into classrooms. Previously, at Taylorsville, we had multiple classroom and school rules to do with cell phones. Last year, our school implemented a policy that did not allow students to be on their phone from bell to bell. The year prior, we had a “stoplight” system, where the teachers had more control over what times students were allowed to be on their phones during each specific class period.
There are some mixed responses from teachers and administrators about this law.
”I think the law is going very well, I think phones are distracting,” states Nayelli Bautista, assistant principal. She adds, “We already had policies, right? Now it’s a law, which helps us back up.”
Teachers and Administration also say that with the law to support them, students are more aware of the consequences they may suffer if they pull out their phones during class, such as getting their phone taken until the end of the school day, and in some serious cases, administrators have interventions with students about their phones being used in class.
Teachers and administrators also say it has some personal benefits, too. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 53% of school leaders reported negative impacts of cell phone use on academic performance, and 72% of public school leaders said cell phones have had a negative impact on their students’ mental health. With this law in place, students’ mental health should climb as well as academic performance.
Social media use is one of the main arguments behind cell phone laws. “I think social media is maybe the worst thing in modern times,” says Tommy Burnett, Taylorsville teacher. It is clear that many adults are against social media use, and with this new law implemented, it gets students off of social media, which gives them the opportunity to focus on other things, such as socializing with their classmates and doing their schoolwork.
But, some teachers and administrators think that the law could use some patchwork.”I think it’s a blanket law that does not address some specific needs of students,” Burnett says. He adds, “I think we could have found a way to address it more specifically for students and their needs.”
This law itself is very broad. It does not have any accommodations for certain students who might need it. Teachers say the law is a big, simple answer that really only benefits the teachers, and doesn’t exactly fit the needs of every single student, and doesn’t benefit all students across the state.
For example, Taylorsville High has programs for multi language learners which gives students the opportunity to learn English. Students and teachers would rely on their phones as translators in their classes. With the law, there is no accommodation point, and students and teachers have been having a tough time trying to find a translation point. Exemption can be offered to students, but there is no official policy on a school or district level.
All in all, while the law has been going well for most administrators, teachers and students, some people are still holding their opinions strong and hoping for changes or adjustments.
