As students return to classrooms Monday, school districts across North Carolina are implementing new policies that restrict cellphone use during instructional time under a state law that took effect this school year.
The law, signed in 2025, requires all school districts in the state to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during instructional time. Exceptions are allowed for health plans, emergencies, educational plans and other reasons.
For many parents, the new rules reinforce a message they have long shared with their children…