Hallie Rich

Last month, I wrote about the rising backlash against screens in classrooms, an issue that has evolved with remarkable speed out of legislation focused more narrowly on student cell phone use. This month, SLJ dives deep into K–12 cell phone use and the impact of bans—many of which were enacted this past academic year—across 44 states. What actually happens in classrooms and libraries when the devices disappear?

Parents and educators are sounding the alarm. Last year, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found that 83 percent of parents believe children’s mental health is declining, with social media and screen time cited as top concerns. Eighty-eight percent of educators in a 2025 survey say student attention spans are shortening—a phenomenon that one cognitive scientist says is the result of devices recalibrating children’s tolerance for effortful tasks.

Last year, a district librarian in Oregon raised $44,000 for their libraries by cobbling together grants, book fair revenue, and crowdfunded donations. They used best practice calculations to estimate that the library budget should have been around $23,000. They were allocated $2,800. So, they hustled.