“My plan, bell-to-bell, no cell. No excuses, no exceptions. No more posting, no scrolling. Here in Tennessee schools, we’re going to learn,” said U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in her new ad campaign.
When Blackburn becomes governor, it will be the end of cell phones in Tennessee public schools. She is touting a new “bell-to-bell” plan to keep students safe from harm and free from phones the entire school day.
A bell-to-bell cell phone policy requires that students turn off and securely store their personal electronic devices, including cell phones, smartwatches and earbuds, from the morning entry bell until the final dismissal bell of the school day.
Tennessee's current phone rules don't go far enough
Tennessee already prohibits cell phones in the classroom during class time, but the current policy
isn’t solving the ongoing and escalating problem of distracted minds, cyberbullying and social media addiction.
As long as students have access to their phones throughout the day, they continue to struggle with their academic focus, mental health and peer relationships.
The truth is, the more students are kept away from their phones, the more they will learn, the better they will feel and the safer they will be.
How excessive device use impacts student well-being
Studies have shown that greater phone and social media usage among children and adolescents is linked to adverse effects, including anxiety and depression, inadequate sleep, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorders, addiction and online harassment.
And there is growing evidence that unrestricted use of devices and access to social media by students at elementary, middle and secondary schools interferes with educational and social development, lowers performance, promotes cyberbullying and increases academic dishonesty.
For this reason, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has said that children need device-free times and spaces, and he specifically cites the need for them in our schools.
He has also called forwarning labels on social media platforms to address "the defining public health challenge of our time," and has stated that “the risk of not acting could be someone’s life.”
The reason why we need warning labels on social media and stricter policies on phones is that the vast weight of the evidence shows a clear correlation with our current youth mental health crisis.
Tennessee has an opportunity to strengthen its policy
Here in Tennessee, our kids deserve better. And we can absolutely do better by supporting Blackburn’s bell-to-bell school phone ban and giving our kids a distraction-free education.
In a recentPhone-Free Schools Report Card, Tennessee received a “C” for its current phone policy, but it can raise its grade to an “A” by requiring a stronger policy that makes phones inaccessible to students throughout the whole school day.
The time is right in Tennessee for a stricter rule on cell phones. Educators and parents are ready also.
Teachers and parents largely support all-day bans
A recentNational Education Association poll showed that 83% of teachers support an all-day phone ban in schools, and a July 2025Pew Research Center poll found that 74% of parents do as well.
Thirty states already have these bell-to-bell phone-free school policies in place, and they have all seen marked improvements in academic performance, mental health and social cohesion in their schools since their respective laws went into effect.
Protecting our kids is of paramount importance, and one way we can do that is by ensuring a safer school environment for them right here in Tennessee with our own bell-to-bell policy.
For more information on this issue, you can visit theTransparency Coalition and theInstitute for Families and Technology, and to get more involved locally, you can connect with theFamily Action Council of Tennessee.
Kent DelHousaye is president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, a conservative Christian education and advocacy organization dedicated to safeguarding God’s design for faith, family and freedom in the public square.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: It’s time for Tennessee schools to go cell phone-free | Opinion
