UC and CSU researchers caution against blanket cellphone bans in schools

As schools across California prepare to limit students’ cellphone use during the school day by July 2026, new research by the University of California, Los Angeles cautions school leaders that completely banning phones on school grounds can cause more harm than good and deepen existing inequities among students.

The new research brief comes from the University of California and California State University Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity and Learning — a research and educational policy group comprised of UC and CSU faculty — and the educational think tank the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act last year, but Bay Area schools have been split on the law, expressing concerns over what the ban would mean for school safet