Emily Peterson said recent restrictions on student cellphone use align with research about anxiety and attention and that schools are seeing fewer classroom interruptions and more student interaction.

Peterson cited a book, The Anxious Generation, and said teachers reported many interruptions from phone notifications that disrupted lessons. “I’ve heard a lot of really positive things, more positive than negative things, about the cell phone policy,” she said, adding that protocols that allow emergency access (for example teacher‑controlled pouches) strike a reasonable balance.

She said she would be cautious about making rules more strict than current practice, because parents want a reliable way to contact children in emergencies.