The National Bureau of Economic Research conducted the study.
It found that right after the ban, there was a rise in suspensions from ban violations. But after that, those instances leveled out, and test scores went up about two or three percentiles.
From NBER: “First, we show that the enforcement of cellphone bans in schools led to a significant increase in student suspensions in the short-term, especially among Black students, but disciplinary actions began to dissipate after the first year, potentially suggesting a new steady state after an initial adjustment period.
“Second, we find significant improvements in student test scores in the second year of the ban after that initial adjustment period.
“Third, the findings suggest that cellphone bans in schools significantly reduce student unexcused absences, an effect that may explain a large fraction of the test score gains. The effects of cellphone bans are more pronounced in middle and high school settings where student smartphone ownership is more common.”
Aaron DiPietro is director of legislative affairs for Florida Family Voice.
The results are possible "when smart policy is aligned with the actual data and science to support actually having an environment in the public schools that supports education and not just indoctrination, but also not just entertainment,” he said.
The problem is not about things like hardcore, "adult content," or violence, but rather, this has to do with the mere nature of the technologies themselves.
“The way that they promote addiction and inhibit learning and education and growth and development … when we create environments that remove those distractions, we're beginning to see the results and the fruit of that come out in the form of higher test scores and better performance in public schools."
DiPietro said he thinks we are beginning to see a trend across the nation as it pertains to technology access and children with people largely agreeing that technology is one of the greatest threats and roadblocks for child development.
