December 3, 2025
BUCKS COUNTY – December 3, 2025 – State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) is hosting a webinar to discuss the impact of cell phones in schools. The event will be on Tuesday, December 9th at 7pm on Zoom.
Senator Santarsiero will be joined during the webinar by Kirstin McGowan, a local parent and advocate with Wait Until 8th and PA Unplugged, Christie Besack, a psychology teacher at Central Bucks West High School and Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Prinstein serves as Chief of Psychology at the American Psychological Association, and as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Co-Director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development.
Each year, more studies show that constant smartphone use is harming kids academically, socially, and emotionally. Teens now spend nearly eight hours a day on their phones, equivalent to a full-time job, and receive an average of 237 notifications daily. This nonstop connectivity is linked to serious mental health challenges in early adulthood, including anxiety, aggression, emotional instability, and suicidal thoughts.
“We can no longer ignore the impact phones are having on students and our schools. That’s why I introduced SB 1014 with senators Vincent Hughes (D-7) and Devlin Robinson (R-37),” Senator Santarsiero said. “The bill would establish a bell-to-bell policy prohibiting students from using cell phones and other non-academic smart devices during the school day, with certain exceptions. Each district would craft its own implementation plan after public comment and community input. We want to make sure we’re protecting our students while maintaining local control over how this law would be implemented.”
Many states have already enacted laws to keep schools cell phone-free and they see children focusing more on learning, developing meaningful relationships with their peers and improving childhood mental health.
The event is free and open to all community members.
Interested attendees can RSVP here and submit your questions in advance. The link to join the webinar will be sent out one day prior to the event on December 8th.
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October 10, 2025
HARRISBURG – October 10, 2025 − Citing the steep decline in youth mental health and academic performance during the past decade, Sens. Vincent Hughes (D-7), Steve Santarsiero (D-10), and Devlin Robinson (R-37) today announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation requiring Pennsylvania schools to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day. Each individual school district will be responsible for crafting a policy that works best for their community.
“Right now, cell phones and social media are causing a detrimental impact to learning, socialization, and mental health in schools. Data shows that 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom,” said Senator Hughes. “Bell-to-bell legislation is a commonsense approach to getting kids off of their screens and social media during school hours and back to what’s happening in the classroom.”
Senate Bill 1014 would require schools to implement all-day cellphone-free policies, with reasonable exceptions including students with medical conditions; students with individualized education plans requiring the use of a personal communication device; English language learners who rely on translation apps; and limited teacher-approved instructional use with approval from the school principal.
Research underscores the urgency of the problem. Since the early 2010s — when smartphone ownership among teens skyrocketed from 23% to 73% — rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among adolescents have surged. The suicide rate for children ages 10–14 has tripled since 2007. In addition, half of all teens say they have experienced cyberbullying at least once.
“Each year, more studies are showing the negative impact of constant smartphone use on the academic, social and emotional development of our children. The impact of these addictive devices in schools cannot be ignored,” said Senator Santarsiero. “Removing phones from our schools will help students focus during class, engage in healthier interactions with their peers, and improve student mental health.”
Academically, schools have also seen performance decline. Math and reading scores began dropping for the first time in 25 years in 2012 — the same period that marked the rapid rise of smartphone and social media use among teens. According to national surveys, 74% of adults and 90% of teachers favor prohibiting cellphone use during class time, while 75% of teachers support full bell-to-bell bans.
“Children are struggling emotionally, socially, and academically. The data is clear: smartphones are playing a major role,” Senator Robinson said. “I’m proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure Pennsylvania students have the opportunity to learn and connect with one another without a constant distraction in their pocket.”
Studies show that schools with cellphone restrictions see improved academic outcomes, better classroom behavior, and stronger student relationships. Many Pennsylvania schools that have already implemented these policies report that students are engaging more with each other during free time and paying closer attention in class.
“A bell-to-bell phone-free school policy in Pennsylvania will help our kids get the space and place to focus on academics without the distractions,” said Kirstin McGowan, co-lead of PA Unplugged, a grassroots group advocating for phone-free schools in Pennsylvania. “Restricting access to personal electronic devices during the school day will help drive student engagement with teachers, classmates, and staff; they will get to have a safe space to grow and become the best versions of themselves; and we as taxpayers get to feel more confident that our investment in education isn’t wasted by distracted kids.”
If enacted, Pennsylvania would join 27 other states that have restricted cellphone use in schools. Eighteen of those states enforce all-day bans.
The legislation now awaits consideration by the Senate.
WATCH: Senator Steven Santarsiero hosts a community discussion on cellphone-free schools (September 2025)
WATCH: Congressman Chris Deluzio and PA State Senator Devlin Robinson host a community discussion on student access to cellphones in school (August 2025)
Learn more about the risks of childhood smartphone use from local advocacy group PA Unplugged.
September 18, 2025
BUCKS COUNTY — September 18, 2025 — State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) will host a community discussion on cell phone-free schools on Thursday, September 25th at 7:30PM in the Zlock Auditorium at the Bucks County Community College campus in Newtown Township.
“Each year, more studies are showing the negative impact of constant smartphone use on the academic, social and emotional development of our children. The impact of these addictive devices in schools cannot be ignored,” said Senator Santarsiero. “Removing phones from our schools will help students focus in class, engage in healthier interactions with their peers and improve student mental health.”
The community discussion on September 25th will feature a panel who will share information and resources on the topic. Panelists will include a student from Bucks County Community College, Kirstin McGowan, a parent and advocate with Wait Until 8th, Christie Besack, a psychology teacher at Central Bucks West High School and Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia.
The conversation will focus on the impact of smartphones and other mobile devices on students in school and the benefits to banning cell phones and other smart devices during school hours.
The event is open to all community members. RSVP is requested at www.senatorstevesantarsiero.com/communitydiscussion.
Senator Santarsiero is currently working on bi-partisan legislation with Senators Vincent Hughes (D-7) and Devlin Robinson (R-37) to ban cell phone use by students in schools, bell-to-bell from kindergarten through 12th grade.
“This is an issue that impacts families throughout our community, our Commonwealth and our country,” continued Senator Santarsiero. “Other states are ahead of us on this and reporting very positive results from students and teachers. Our students deserve every opportunity to thrive in school and removing the distraction of cell phones is an important step.”
Thirty-five states currently limit student phone use in school, with 17 states and the District of Columbia implementing bell-to-bell bans. Pennsylvania does not currently have a statewide policy, though some school districts have policies in place.
The 10th Senate District includes Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, Buckingham Township, Chalfont Borough, Doylestown Borough, Doylestown Township, Falls Township, Lower Makefield Township, Morrisville Borough, New Britain Borough, New Britain Township, New Hope Borough, Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Plumstead Township, Solebury Township, Tullytown Borough, Upper Makefield Township and Yardley Borough.
