INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — A sixth-grader who already attends a school with an all-day phone ban said Wednesday she and her friends hardly ever think about it.
Merry Alice Hale said her teachers at St. Pius X School require all students to turn off their phones when they get to school, after which the teachers store them in a lockable box in class. She said she can take out her phone near dismissal.
"We don't really talk about it much because this doesn't come up and we all kind of agree," she said.
Gov. Mike Braun on Wednesday morning held a ceremonial bill signing in Whiteland for Indiana's all-day school cellphone ban, which takes effect July 1, in time for the 2026-2027 school year. The new law expands Indiana's existing law, which prohibits cellphones and other wireless communication devices during instructional time, but not during times such as lunch breaks or passing periods between classes. The law will apply to traditional public schools as well as charter schools. The ban has exceptions for students who need their devices for medical purposes, Individualized Education Programs or translation needs.
Merry Alice and her mother, Molly, both said they have no complaints about St. Pius X School's similar ban. Molly Hale said she allows Merry Alice to take a phone with her so she can communicate about transportation or after-school activities. Hale said she supports the school's all-day ban and thinks the new state law will be a good thing.
"It may be difficult at first but, ultimately, I think a lot of our kids have had mental health problems because of too much access to phones and social media," she said.
A new study by Stanford University, Duke University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania found school cellphone bans have no discernible impact on academic achievement, attendance rates, perceived online bullying or classroom attention. That same study, the largest of its kind to date, found that student well-being did improve. Researchers pointed out their study only covered the early years of phone bans. They added the bans were very effective in their primary purpose: getting kids in schools off of phones.
Many parents have told WRTV they fear the ban would leave them unable to contact their children in the event of a school shooting.
Albert Tartaglia, whose daughter attends Mt. Vernon community schools, said he would only support the ban if society reached a point where active shooter drills were no longer necessary. Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, who wrote the cellphone ban, said the ban would not prevent students from calling their parents in an emergency once school administrators determined it was safe to do so. Hale said she would not want her children trying to call her during a shooting if it was not safe to make the call.
"Kids should be allowed to be kids, and that means being able to focus on their school day, their teachers and friends, and having access 24/7 to a cellphone runs counter to their ability to enjoy the school day," she said. "I think my advice is to really try to understand what your school's emergency protocols are if that's your chief concern."
Merry Alice said she thinks it's better for her and her friends to not have their phones with them all the time because it could cause problems in class.
As for phone use outside of school, she said she doesn't look at hers until after she's done with her homework for the evening, and she makes time to play with her family and her younger brother.
