This is an article from the 2026 Civitas Examiner (Volume 3, No. 2) and was written by one of our students, Sreehan. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
The statewide phone ban in Missouri school changed school in a number of ways that I certainly never saw coming. When Missouri officially passed Senate Bill 68 in July 2025, most of us school kids-including myself-thought it would be nothing short of an absolute nightmare. Under the newly instituted legislation, all of the public and charter schools across the state of Missouri have been mandated to prohibit all cell phones, smartwatches, and devices of similar capacity during all school hours. This ban begins at the initial school bell up to the final bell, and it prevents texts during class, scrolls during lunch, and the checking of notifications during the school day.
For a generation of kids who were almost raised by the internet, smartphones, and devices, the change felt abrupt and severe.
More than halfway into the 2025-2026 school year, however, I can say that not everyone is still feeling the burn of having to go phone-free for most of their day. Some of the most interesting side-effects include better interaction in the lunch room and the ability for teachers to take phones away since students were not on them. Being without the comfort of scrolling through your phone, seeing a friend’s stories, or of course taking countless selfies during lunchtime and break times forced students to find an alternative way to occupy their time, conversation.
Students at my school have become undeniably louder during lunchtime since the ban was enacted; it’s now difficult to even hear conversations amid the school crowd. Not only this but I’ve even experienced students having real, somewhat hesitant at first, face-to-face conversations! It has really solidified how much we have allowed ourselves to substitute interaction with communication through a screen. It turns out, spending more time interacting directly with people around you more than you would online is actually ideal.
No longer distracted during class it isn’t a secret to us that students have a difficult time focusing during class, due to cellphones it was practically an impossible task; teachers at my school previously had an immense difficulty. Constant distraction from a notification or text alert can make it incredibly hard to engage in a lecture. Without the phones, students are able to focus for longer periods of time, and lectures become more interesting through more participation.
The general attentiveness of our student body to be significantly more present, with more participants in classroom discussions than prior to the implementation of this law. This has only been mirrored in teachers and administrators’, and has reportedly drastically decreased overall classroom management issues, distractions, and any technology related discipline or administrative issues. Improvements in mental health arguably is the most surprising result of this bill has been the improvement of students’ mental health, a topic that has been continuously discussed amongst our age group.
It has also long been associated with cyber-bullying and the pressures of comparing yourself with others.
While it does not put a stop to cyber-bullying and comparisons, by removing phones during the school day, it limits the daily exposure that students now experience with these negative aspects. The takeaway here is that while it may not seem obvious right away, this bill has come with some beneficial consequences, which have benefited the lives of both students and teachers. A noticeable rise in communication between friends has taken place in the school’s cafeteria and classroom interactions have increased by leaps and bounds due to lack of device distraction. Students will have some difficulty adjusting in the first months but eventually they will be much more present and attentive during the class lessons, and it’s about time our school be a safer and more mentally healthy environment than ever before.
