FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2025
Media Contact:
Kayla Mattas
Marketing and Communications Director | She, Her, Hers | Stand for Children Indiana | M 765-721-2833 | [email protected]
Surveys: Hoosiers want cell phones to be away for the day in schools
Indianapolis – Survey results released today by education advocacy non-profit Stand for Children Indiana show overwhelming support for a stronger smartphone policy in Indiana schools. This data comes as lawmakers consider changing the law that allows students to use cell phones during non-classroom instructional time. The Senate education committee will take up one such bill, SB 78, on Tuesday.
In two separate surveys — one focused on Stand Indiana’s internal membership base and one scientific poll of likely voters within Indianapolis — support for eliminating cell phone use by students throughout the school day surpassed 60%.
The internal survey of Stand Indiana’s list of advocates and supporters saw 138 respondents with 84 (more than 60%) saying they support a “phone away for the day policy, where phones are off and away from students during the entire school day in order to reduce distractions and improve focus”
- Nearly 23% in the same survey said they prefer the current policy in Indiana, which allows for students to use phones outside of class time.
- 17% indicated they want more information before choosing a preferred policy.
In addition to its internal survey, Stand Indiana commissioned a scientific poll in October of Indianapolis residents, where 69% of respondents supported a so called “bell-to-bell” policy for phones — where the smartphone is secured away from the student from the start of school through the final bell. Support for restricting smartphone in schools is popular with voters of all political backgrounds – with the polls showing self-identified Democrats, Republicans and Independents all support a bell-to-bell policy by margins 63% and higher.
The scientific poll, done by LJR Custom Strategies, was completed by more than 600 likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.9%.
There is a growing body of research showing that the elimination of cell phone use during the school day has academic and mental health benefits for young people. School safety experts have also cited the downside of cellphone access in school emergencies where devices create distractions and tie up cell tower bandwidth that is best used to support the response of public safety personnel.
Stand Indiana plans to have advocates testify in favor of SB 78 this week.
###
About Stand for Children IndiaAbout Usna: Stand for Children is a unique catalyst for educational success and social progress, to create a brighter future for us all.
