Technology can be beneficial to students’ learning, but also seen as a distraction. When students have their phones the chances of being productive are significantly reduced.
When this was brought to the education board’s attention they decided to take action. House Bill 208 which is used to regulate the use of technology in the school systems to prevent distraction.
The law, signed by the governor on March 24, 2025, requires local schools to accept new rules that prohibit student use of personal telecommunications devices, such as cell phones, during instructional time.
Only exceptions to this rule are for emergencies, teacher-directed activities, or when authorized by a teacher.
In addition, the school districts are filtering technology to block access to inappropriate sources and content including many social media applications like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat unless prohibited for educational use. Although schools attempt to block these applications, some students believe it is their problem, not the school.
“Getting distracted by your phone is one’s fault and one should have enough self-control not to waste time in class playing on their phone,” Christian Bedinghaus (10) said.
“In case of a dangerous situation, what if kids can’t say they love their parents the last time or call the police. As well as kids with medical conditions who need their phone,” Ivy Roberts (10) said.
90% of students said phones should be allowed in school, along with 83% of students claiming they don’t see phones as a distraction during school.
Rep. Steven Doan was one of the sponsors of the HB 208 Bill. He represents part of Boone and Kenton County. He believed something had to be done.
“The primary goal of HB 208 is to restrict student use of personal telecommunications devices (like cell phones) during instructional time in order to improve focus, minimize distractions, and create a better learning environment,” Doan said.
Technology can be used for many educational purposes, but there can also be disadvantages when allowing students to have access to phones. While learning, the temptation of having a phone close can be distracting causing students to be more focused on what is happening online rather than learning.
“It mandates that each school district adopt policies prohibiting phone use during instructional time, with limited exceptions such as emergencies or teacher authorization for instructional purpose,” Doan said.
Staying safe is the priority, technology will be allowed for students who need it for emergency use. Overall, this law will help prevent the distraction of phones in school while also not restricting contact during emergencies.
Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 208 on March 26, 2025, and it will further influence the use of phones in high schools.
