ARE NEW NC LAWS ABOUT CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS HELPING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS?
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill, in partnership with the NC Collaboratory and the NC Department of Public Instruction, are collecting administrative and survey data to evaluate the impact of House Bill 959 / Session Law 2025-38 on students, teachers, and communities.
The NC Phones and Tech in Schools Study aims to include middle schoolers from across the state to find out how they use technology and how it impacts their attention, mood, behavior, and academic performance.
What do we hope to learn that could inform state or local policies?
How school device policies, including the potential impact of new legislation restricting cell phone use, shape student development and classroom environments, and the impact of cell phone and school-issued technological device use in and out of school on:
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- Academic performance
- Attendance
- Discipline and classroom behavior
- Mental and physical health
- Social relationships and school belonging
- Teacher effectiveness and stress
Students’ and teachers’ individual responses will not be shared with schools or policy makers. Initial findings will be shared with the NC Collaboratory in Spring 2026 to help policy makers decide how best to keep youth safe in schools and help them learn.
What is being asked of students and teachers?
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- Parents must fill out a consent form for their child to be included in the study.
- Students will take a survey at school three times (Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Fall 2026). It will take about 45 minutes for respondents to complete the survey.
- Survey questions focus on device use, school phone policies, social media participation, AI awareness, mood, emotions, and behavior. Students can skip any questions that they want and withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.
- Researchers will also look at teacher data, school records (attendance, discipline, achievement and grades), and existing school digital device policies.
Safeguards
This study has been approved by UNC’s Institutional Review Board and complies with all policies, including established standards and safeguards to protect participants’ information and to ensure compliance with federal and state information security regulations.
Timeline
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- Fall 2025: School recruitment and study consent process. Students take the survey (round 1).
- Spring 2026: Students take the survey again (round 2). Study team analyzes the data.
- Spring 2026: Initial findings shared with state and local policymakers and education leaders.
- Fall 2026: Students take the survey again (round 3). Study team analyzes and interprets final results.
- Winter 2026/2027: Final report and recommendations for state and local policymakers and education leaders.
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