Put your phone away, but where? How U-M is testing which cellphone rules work in Michigan schools

How should Michigan schools restrict student cellphone use—and which approaches work best for students, teachers and families?
A new Michigan law requires every public school district to restrict cellphone use during class, while allowing districts to determine how those restrictions are implemented. In this Michigan Research video, University of Michigan experts Brian Jacob and Justin Heinze examine the choices schools face, from keeping phones out of sight to using lockers, classroom or centralized collection, and lockable phone pouches.

Jacob, an education policy scholar at U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Youth Policy Lab, leads the Michigan School Cellphone Policy Study with colleagues from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention. Heinze brings expertise in public health, school safety and youth well-being.

The research team began by reviewing written cellphone policies from 779 school districts—95% of Michigan’s publicly funded districts. The analysis found that nearly every district already had a policy before the state law took effect, but the policies varied widely:

• Half restricted phones throughout the entire school day, while half restricted them only during class.
• In 62% of districts, students kept their phones with them but were instructed to keep them out of sight.
• Other approaches included lockers, classroom collection, centralized collection and lockable phone pouches.

The researchers are now examining how these policies work in practice. The study includes statewide surveys of teachers, principals and superintendents; focus groups with parents and students; and analysis of student data from the Michigan Department of Education. Researchers will compare school cellphone policies with academic achievement, discipline, mental health and violence.

The study also considers the trade-offs schools face. Phones can distract students during class, but students may also depend on them to manage health conditions or report safety threats through programs such as OK2SAY.

Running through 2028, the Michigan School Cellphone Policy Study aims to help Michigan schools understand which cellphone policies work best, for whom, and what it takes to carry them out successfully.

Eric Shaw, director of digital marketing and communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan produced this video.