Lockable phone pouches curb phones, not learning

A nationwide, staggered difference‑in‑differences study finds that school adoption of lockable phone pouches sharply reduces measured phone use but yields near‑zero average test‑score effects; short‑term discipline and well‑being worsen before later normalization and modest heterogenous effects (small gains in high‑school math, slight harms in middle school). — Shows that popular school phone bans can change behaviour without producing the large academic improvements that many advocates promise, so policy debates should focus on tradeoffs and implementation rather than moral urgency.