New Jersey Bans Student Cell Phone Use in Schools Starting Fall 2026

Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Thursday. All K-12 public school districts in New Jersey must now create policies that bar students from using cell phones and internet-connected devices during the school day. The ban starts for the 2026-2027 school year.

The law requires the state education commission and local school boards to write guidelines. These guidelines will restrict non-academic use of phones, tablets, smart watches, and other devices during regular school hours, on school buses, and at school-sanctioned events. Murphy signed the bill at Ramsey High School in Bergen County in one of his final acts before leaving office on Jan. 20.

"We're going to rid our classrooms of needless distractions, " Murphy said, per CBS News, "and encourage our children to be more attentive, engaged during the school day." 

The state Department of Education will release guidelines in mid-January after consulting with stakeholders. Local school boards will then put policies in place that match the state guidelines while keeping flexibility for accommodations.

Murphy first called for the ban during his State of the State address last year. The bipartisan legislation passed the state Assembly and Senate in December. Only three dissenting votes.

New Jersey joins 36 other states and the District of Columbia with laws or rules limiting phones in schools. Phones are banned throughout the school day in 19 states and D.C., though Georgia and Florida have "bell-to-bell" bans only from kindergarten through eighth grade.

The law includes exceptions. Students who need devices for educational purposes, language translation, or as accommodations for disabilities can still use them. Students whose health plans require devices to manage medical conditions will also be exempt with documentation from a health care provider.

Districts can buy storage systems such as lockers, locked pouches, or check-in cabinets. The state budget set aside $3 million in grants to support phone-free schools, with $980,000 awarded to 86 districts in December.

Massimo Randazzo, a student at Ramsey High School, said his school began requiring students to store cell phones in pouches a year ago. "Instead of everyone rushing between classes, staring at screens, students actually started talking to one another. The space felt more social and more present," he said.

Several districts have their own policies ranging from outright bans to requirements that phones be stored in "cellphone hotels." Cherry Hill, Deptford, Moorestown, Washington Township, and Woodbury restrict use in classrooms, though enforcement and punishments vary.

Steve Beatty, president of the New Jersey Education Association, supported the measure at the bill signing event. "Phone police should not be one of them, but that's where we are," said Beatty, according to NJ.com.