Gov. Josh Stein signs law banning North Carolina students from using their phones in class

T. Keung Hui, The Charlotte Observer on Jul 1, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s now illegal for North Carolina public school students to have their phones on in class unless there’s an emergency or they get permission from the school.

Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill into law on Tuesday that requires school districts and charter schools to — at a minimum — adopt policies prohibiting students from using, displaying, or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time. House Bill 959 also requires schools to teach social media literacy skills to students.

The new state law was passed with near unanimous support last week from state legislators. Stein, a Democrat, has been vocal about the benefits of restricting students from using their cellphones in class.

“Cellphones are a major source of distraction for students and disruption for our educators,” Stein said at the bill signing in the Executive Mansion. “When teachers do not have to compete with social media for their students’ attention, that is when real learning happens. There are also real mental health benefits for our teens by limiting cellphone usage at school.”

The N.C. School Boards Association has said most school districts have policies banning phone using during instructional time. But even districts like Wake County which already have policies will have to make changes because they only required phones to be silenced but not turned off.

The phone bill was among six pieces of legislation that Stein signed into law on Tuesday.

Nationwide push to ban phone use in class

The legislation comes amid growing concerns about the negative impacts that phones have on learning and students’ mental health. Some students have become addicted to social media on their phones and have used their phones to cyberbully classmates.

At least 27 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools, according to an Education Week analysis. Some other states are either recommending local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, or providing incentives for them to do so.

There’s broad general support for phone restrictions in schools.

A survey released in October by the Pew Research Center found that 65% of parents support banning students from using their cellphone in class.

Exemptions allowed for phone use in class

The law permits phones and other wireless communications devices to be used in class in these circumstances:

▪ If authorized by a teacher for educational purposes or for use in the event of an emergency.

▪ As required by the student’s individualized education program or section 504 plan. This exemption would apply to some special-education students.

▪ As required to manage a student’s health care, in accordance with a documented medical condition. Some students use their phones to monitor their blood glucose levels.

The law requires schools to establish the consequences for violations of the wireless communication policy. This could include confiscation of devices and disciplinary measures.

Law doesn’t ban phones during non-class time

School districts across the state have been adopting or modifying their phone policies in anticipation of new legislation coming this year.

Stein’s student safety council recommended that schools completely ban phone use during the school day.

“As I think about the school year ahead of me, it brings me joy and hope to know that my students will have eight uninterrupted hours away from their screens and the pressures of social media,” said Annie Goldberg, a member of Stein’s student safety council and the 2024 North Carolina School Counselor of the Year.

But the new law doesn’t cover non-instructional times of the school day.

For instance, some schools in the state ban students from using their phones the entire school day. Some schools allow high school students to use phones during noninstructional time such as lunch and class changes.

The law also doesn’t go as far as Johnston County, which extended its phone ban to teachers. The district says staff can only use their phones “for emergency response purposes and when not responsible for supervising or instructing students.”