The Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project is a growing coalition of parents, educators, and school administrators united in calling for legislative action and policy changes to address the overuse of smartphones, social media, and digital products in our nation's schools.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Calling all Schools and Families - Join us for THE UNPLUGGED PROJECT a national initiative focused on rediscovering distraction-free learning during the week of October 5-9.
Model Legislation Package
The Distraction-Free Schools Legislation Package includes four state model bills that together set a gold standard for prioritizing students' mental health, academic, and social development. The Package aims to protect students, empower educators, and ensure every classroom tool—digital or traditional—serves a single purpose: helping students learn safely and effectively.
INSIDE THE PACKAGE: Four Bills
Bill #1: Skills Before Screens (SOS) Act - Establishes statewide minimum standards for safety, effectiveness, and privacy compliance of student-facing digital products for publicly funded schools.
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Tiered digital product introduction. Grades PreK to 5: All analog w/minimal exceptions; Grades 6 to 8: Computer lab or shared cart model; Grades 9 to 12: Computer lab or shared cart model or 1:1 used intentionally.
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Require districts to create a generative AI framework. No Chatbots.
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Establish a district Technology Advisory Committee.
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Prohibit the use of social media for school communication with students.
Bill #2: Digital Product Registry Act - Creates a public registry of approved digital products based on a statewide framework for evaluating the products used by students.
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Digital Product Registry overseen by the State Educational Authority.
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Vendor attestation of safety, effectiveness, and privacy compliance of their product.
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Training for school technology staff
Bill #3: Digital Product Opt-Out Act - Gives students and their caregivers the right to opt out of using digital products as part of their education.
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A student may be opted out of using digital products for curriculum that is not specifically teaching computer-related skills.
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Prohibits discrimination against a student for opting out.
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Prohibits dismissing, suspending, disciplining, reassigning, or transferring a teacher for choosing to teach a class, or portions of a class, without using electronic devices.
Bill #4: Phone-Free Schools Act - Proposes to prohibit access to personal electronic devices in public schools, education centers, charter schools, or training programs that provide pre-kindergarten, elementary, or secondary education.
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The model bill requires that all K-12 schools (public and charter) implement a first bell to last bell of the day phone-free policy.
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During this time, students would not have access to personal devices of any kind (e.g., cell phones, earbuds, smartwatches, etc.)
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Schools/districts may choose which method of personal device storage they use.
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Exceptions for medical need, IEPs/504s plans.
Join the growing coalition of parents, educators, medical professionals, and other community members advocating for these needed policy changes.
You're Invited to Join Us
Community of Practice Calls
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month at noon EST
This is a Zoom call with advocates from across the country.
We provide resources and support to all our state advocacy teams during this one-hour drop in zoom call. Calls are hosted by leaders from the Becca Schmill Foundation and Smartphone Free Childhood US
“This call is a wealth of information and our local group would be lost without the guidance of DFS!! Every week we learn something new.”—Kristen PA Unplugged
Phone-Free Schools Report Card
The presence of phones in schools is causing
a wide range of harm, including:
Academic Harms
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Distraction
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Cheating and Academic Dishonesty
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Loss of Learning Time
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Reduced Cognitive Capacity
Non-Academic Harms
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Cyberbullying
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Dangerous in an emergency
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Impaired Social Skills
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Anxiety and Depression
To read your state's report card:
The Report Card project is a collaboration between The Anxious Generation, Smartphone Free Childhood US, Institute for Families and Technology, and Becca Schmill Foundation. State legislators and advocates were also consulted throughout the report card project.
The project was made possible by the expertise and leadership of Kim Whitman, Researcher and Writer (Smartphone-Free Childhood US); Lina Nealon, Project Lead and Writer (Institute for Families and Technology); Rep. Angela Arsenault - Vermont (Legislative Analyst and Writer), Deb Schmill, Model Law Primary Author and Project Advisor (Becca Schmill Foundation); Casey Mock, J.D., Legislative Advisor (The Anxious Generation); Devin Babcock, Policy Advisor (ExcelinEd); and Michael J. Balzano, designer, Balzanovision.