Texas House Bill 1481 took was signed into law in June 2025 and took effect on September that same year.
Texas Scorecard reports on the improvement of students in the classroom as Texas begins their second school year with this cellphone ban.
A Texas A&M Health Telehealth Institute research assistant, Israel Arevalo, said that when the ban began, he saw anxiety in teachers, students, and parents spike, plateau and then drop. She also said the initial anxiousness of the students could be attributed to “digital withdrawal.”
According to Texas A&M Health, these new cell phone limits are helping teacher “reclaim lost attention” during the school day.
Phones weren't the only devices banned. Other devices not to be used during the school day include tablets, smartwatches, and other devices capable of telecommunication or digital communication.
Kate Bierly is a campaign director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
“This is a huge win for teachers. The results are overwhelming teachers. They're reporting that not only are there better test scores, but there’s fewer hallway conflicts and physical fights and students who just seem happier and less worn down,” Bierly states.
Rachel Baily, an 11th grade teacher history, said that not only did her students scores improve, but they began to interact with each other more, playing card games and Sudoku and even coloring.
Bierly gave a positive example out of Dallas.
“They reported a huge jump in library book checkouts after this bill passed. The book checkouts increased districtwide since the cell phone ban began, specifically at Hillcrest High School. The librarian there had documented that the checkout numbers of books had doubled in just the first three weeks of school,” Bierly states. “So, this is a huge win for teachers and restoring classrooms to focus instead of just an endless stream of dopamine novelties.”
