New Jersey governor signs law banning student phones in public schools

Governor Philip D. Murphy signed a law on Thursday that bans student cellphones and other internet-enabled devices in New Jersey public schools, a move he completed during a ceremony at Ramsey High School 12 days before he is scheduled to leave office. The law, which Mr. Murphy called a "bell-to-bell" ban, will take effect during the 2026-27 school year and requires local education boards to adopt rules prohibiting the use of cellphones and similar devices throughout the school day.

Supporters say the measure is intended to prevent classroom distractions such as text messages, doomscrolling, TikTok and Candy Crush. The bill won overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Legislature after Mr. Murphy had endorsed phone-free schools in his State of the State address nearly a year earlier.

The change tracks with similar actions in about three dozen other states, some of which have rules that also will take effect later this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and mirrors policies already enacted by many cities and states, including New York State and New York City.

Some New Jersey schools have already experimented with phone-free policies: Ramsey High School, in Bergen County, has required students since last January to lock phones in special pouches during class as part of a state grant program.

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Politics, Philip D. Murphy, New Jersey, Ramsey High School, Pew Research Center, Tiktok