‘A distraction': NJ Gov. Murphy calls for statewide school cellphone ban

The Cherry Hill School District in South Jersey was already ahead of this – they started a ban on cellphone use in the classroom at the beginning of the academic year.

Now Gov. Phil Murphy is calling for a statewide ban for cellphones in schools that would go even further in all K-12 Garden State schools.

During his State of the State Address in Trenton on Jan. 14, 2025, Murphy said he would like to see all school districts across the state adopt policies that ban cellphones in classrooms.

The second-term Democrat says his reasoning is due to the growing use of cellphones and a growing number of kids experiencing mental health issues. He called phones in classrooms “a distraction.”

“If you ask just about any educator, they will tell you that mobile devices are a distraction in the classroom, that they are fueling a rise in cyberbullying, and they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids not only to learn but to retain the substance of what they learn,” Murphy told legislators.

Murphy said he would not sit back while watching kids suffer.

“Is it any surprise that the rise in smartphone usage has coincided with a growing youth mental health crisis?” Murphy asked.

He said he fully supports a ban on cellphones in all elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

“We will help establish phone-free schools,” Murphy said.

The statewide effort is already in motion. A bill was just passed unanimously in the state Senate Tuesday to ban cellphones in the classroom. It now heads to the Assembly Education Committee.

To use Cherry Hill public schools as an example, the school district says students must keep their mobile devices in their locker or backpack while in front of the teacher. But they can check their phone when they’re not in a classroom.