Students slouch in their chairs during the chemistry lecture, staring blankly at their pocket-sized devices. Scrolling. Double-tapping. Typing. Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or any internet media platform, people from all over the world connect through their phones. The Texas school phone ban law was passed in June of 2025 and is in full effect during this school year. With the new phone ban in place, students and staff are affected throughout the year in various beneficial ways.

Many people are positively affected by the phone ban because of an increase in face-to-face communication. A 2019 report from Common Sense Media found that teenagers spend an average of seven and a half hours of screen time daily, and these numbers do not include the devices students use for school work. Minimizing non-educational screen time at school contributes to less screen time overall and allows more time for socialization that isn’t through a screen. A 2023 study from the National Library of Medicine found that the overexposure to electronic devices can affect social experiences, problem solving and communication skills. These articles all promote the fact that students’ important functions including communication and interaction skills used in their future careers are being degraded by their phones daily.

The Texas phone ban benefits students because it causes them to be more present in the classroom. A global study in 2022 found that one in three students said that they were distracted by their device during class, therefore contributing to lower grades. A 2018 study from ABC News revealed that scientists have studied the effects of divided attention and concluded that less information regarding the lesson will be recalled because of distractions. This applies to cell phones in the classroom because if a student focuses on what happens on social media, their brain doesn’t have the function to remember the important information that will be on their test next week.

While numerous studies have proven the Texas phone ban to have a positive impact on people, many reports are against it because of how social media can connect people and encourage them to interact. A 2024 blog from the American Public University reports that social media is driven to success because of the human need to connect and that the human mind is hardwired to be social. After the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, social media flourished, as that was the only way people could connect safely. Since then, many students rely on their phones in order to socialize because that was the only way they could connect with their community during that time. Another study from The Montclarion in 2019 demonstrated that social media allows for an easier way to be social and find your community, especially if you struggle doing it face-to-face at school.

Although phones at school allow for easier communication and bring a sense of connection to users, it can still lead to social anxiety, depression and isolation. These burdens are especially prevalent in teenagers and young adults who are the top users of social media, according to a 2024 study from UC Davis Health. Ultimately, the Texas phone ban is a suitable decision for schools because it facilitates real-life communication that students will need in their futures and it causes students to pay attention to what is vital in their education. The ban will benefit this generation emotionally and mentally, and eventually the generations to come.