School phone bans show no benefit

Preliminary NBER evidence using the National Survey of Children’s Health (2016–2024) and synthetic difference‑in‑difference models finds no clear reduction in student screentime or improvement in psychological wellbeing following school smartphone bans; the analysis is limited to a handful of states with short post‑ban windows, so results are early and tentative. Policymakers and schools should treat bans as unproven and prioritize better measurement and longer follow‑up before assuming mental‑health benefits. — If school smartphone bans are ineffective, widespread adoption of such policies could waste political capital and divert attention from more promising interventions for youth mental health.