Kim Bleier has been teaching social studies at Concord High School for almost 30 years, and she has seen firsthand how screens have changed the classroom.
“The dependence on technology for both information and socialization has been major,” she said.
But now New Hampshire has a statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban, which went into effect at the beginning of the past academic year. It prohibits student phone use throughout the entire school day, including at lunch.
Bleier said she is already seeing major changes.
“We're seeing an improvement in learning and focus less anxiety,” she said. “A lot of the students are actually relieved to be away from their phones.”
Most other New Hampshire teachers noticed similar improvements, according to a report released Tuesday from the state department of education. The report details feedback from a survey of nearly 1,400 educators working in grades 6 to 12.
Nearly 80% of teachers surveyed said the ban was effective at reducing classroom distractions, and about a third said the ban led to fewer disciplinary problems.
Megan Tuttle leads the New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association, the state’s largest education union. She said she is hearing from her members that the benefits of the new policy extend beyond just the classroom.
“Kids are taking out games during lunchtime. They're playing cards with each other,” she said. “Just those little things that are happening again that really weren't happening before.”
Bleier said getting rid of cellphones forced educators to realize how reliance on screens had eroded some students' interpersonal skills, especially for many current high school students who spent critical years learning remotely during the pandemic.
“Some students need lessons on how to have a class discussion or how to have a class debate,” she said.
Roughly half of teachers and administrators surveyed reported that students have developed better social skills and formed deeper relationships with their peers since the ban began.
The law allows each district to create its own policy to best fit its own needs. The most common policy allowed students to keep their phones, as long as they were not visible during the school day.
As of June 2026, 21 other states and Washington D.C. also have “bell-to-bell” bans.. The New Hampshire law requires an annual assessment, allowing districts to adjust their policy based on what has and has not been working well.
Tuttle said she hopes having a flexible mandate will allow schools to next tackle concerns about high screen time in general, especially from using other devices like iPads and Chromebooks.
