Pennsylvania is pulling cellphones out of classrooms, opening the door for low-tech alternatives

A new Pennsylvania law will restrict students’ cellphone use during the school day, adding to a growing push to reduce screen time in schools.

Governor Josh Shapiro signed a bill on Monday that requires school leaders to develop policies prohibiting students’ cellphone use during the school day. This law applies to all public, private, charter and cyber charter schools in the commonwealth and will start in the 2027-2028 school year. 

PA Unplugged, a statewide org advocating for less screen time for kids, has been pushing for this legislation for over a year, working with state government officials in both the state Senate and House to get this policy in place, co-lead Alex Bird Becker told Technical.ly. 

“This policy was never about test scores,” Becker said. “It’s giving kids this freedom from the distraction and the drama that social media can bring throughout the day, and give them a chance to build independence and resilience.” 

Beyond cellphones, parents are also raising concerns about how much technology students use in school, Becker said.

Schools have increasingly adopted one-to-one technology programs, which provide each student with a device. That trend accelerated during the pandemic, including in the School District of Philadelphia. 

One-to-one device programs can give every student exposure to digital learning tools, and allow them to practice technology skills they’ll need beyond the classroom, according to educators in Philly. 

But access doesn’t necessarily mean more screen time is better. In PA Unplugged’s screen time and technology use survey, 79% of nearly 2,000 respondents from 146 districts across the state said students spend too much time on school-issued devices. Their concerns include fewer opportunities to practice hands-on skills and handwriting, negative effects on social skills and attention spans, and exposure to inappropriate content.

However, there isn’t a ton of evidence proving that tech tools are doing more good than harm, especially in younger grades, Becker said. Academic performance isn’t improving and kids seem to be more distracted, according to Education Next. 

Now, schools face a balancing act: ensuring students can develop digital literacy skills while recognizing when learning is better served by putting screens away.

“We need to think about,” Becker said, “when does it make sense to introduce the types of learning that happen on devices.” 

Freedom for schools to choose their policy

PA’s bell-to-bell cellphone ban lets schools set their own restrictions, from collecting phones at the start of the day to requiring them to stay silent and out of sight or providing storage, Becker said. Schools must submit their policies to the state and publish them online.

Stricter policies that keep phones out of students’ reach tend to be most effective, according to EdSurge.  

Schools must also explain how parents can reach students during the day and how they’ll notify families of emergencies. Exceptions apply for medical needs, translation and accommodations.

Dozens of PA schools and districts had already passed cellphone use policies before the law passed, according to Becker. 

PA is now the No. 25 state to enact a phone-free school day law, according to PA Unplugged. Maryland passed a law earlier this year, although educators say it’s been tough enforcing the bans with students. 

The return of the landline 

Parents were looking for ways to cut down on their kids’ screen time before the bans — and startups have been cropping up to meet that demand.

Christophe Poirrier and Bob Liu cofounded Ring Ring Club, a Chester County-based company that sells landline phone systems with parental controls. Parents can choose which numbers their phones can call and receive calls from, as well as the hours they can operate.

“It’s really a contained and safe environment,” Poirrier told Technical.ly. “There are no spam calls, there are no calls with strangers, obviously. There’s no screens.”

Since launching earlier this year, the company has seen a lot of organic growth, the founders said. Poirrier and Liu first built the tech to help their own kids keep in touch and slowly expanded it to their social circles and their wider community. 

Ring Ring Club has expanded to other states and Canada and can accommodate international calls, Poirrier said. The company also started working with screen-free advocacy groups, like PA Unplugged, and other parent groups looking for low-tech alternatives. 

Ring Ring Club isn’t the only one doing this. Most notably, Seattle-based landline company Tin Can started making Wi-Fi-enabled landline phones for kids in 2024. There’s also Pinwheel Home, which sells a similar landline system, and Freckle, which makes a parent-controlled mobile phone.

Parents have long tried to rein in screen time with cellphone substitutes featuring limited buttons to restrict outgoing calls or with strict limits on educational gaming. And Gen Z is even bringing back flip phones as a way to detach from social media. 

These kinds of companies are building on the trend of parents wanting their kids to spend less time looking at screens and more time interacting with each other, Poirrier said. 

“Beyond the nostalgic edge,” Poirrier said, “there’s also just a wanting for more intentional use of technology and limits of screen time.”