UTAH STATE CAPITOL—During the 2025 Legislative Session lawmakers passed SB 178, a bill to limit cell phone use in schools. It still allowed districts to choose their own policies but the default was the state law. On Jan. 7, Gov. Spencer Cox introduced new legislation that would put into place a bell-to-bell policy prohibiting cell phones in school from when the first bell rings until the last bell when school ends. 

“I lament that we did not get this done earlier but we have an opportunity to fix what we got wrong last time and do it the right way this time,” said Cox at a press conference at the Capitol. “I am convinced more than ever that a bell to bell cell phone ban is the single most important thing that we can do for our students in our schools today.”

Cox shared his own experience with cell phone usage. “Some of you have heard me talk about my Twitter addiction. It’s something I’ve had for a while but I’ve gotten better at it over time. But it was still something that was taking away from my focus.”

Three weeks ago Cox said he decided to take social media off of his cell phone and put the phone away more. “I’ve started to write more, trying to read more and it’s been a very important three weeks for me. It’s been incredible just to feel my own brain starting to rewire itself back to what it used to be.”

This is the most powerful device in the history of mankind, he said. “Our primitive brains can’t compete with everything that this has to offer. It’s intentionally designed to rewire the neural pathway you see in all of our minds that make it impossible for us to focus. We feel like we’re busy and we feel like we’re doing important things when in fact we’re not and that’s being taken away from us.”

It’s not a fair fight for adults, said Cox. “You can imagine the fight that we’re having with our kids and their focus. I’ve yet to meet an administrator who thinks that (bill) was a bad idea.”

Cox said less screen time is helping students with social skills. “We’re looking people in the eye, we’re having actual conversation, we’re engaging. This is how we develop the human brain, but also how we develop as human beings. We need that development now more than ever, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence.”

Last year, Cox said he had the opportunity to talk to a principal who had bell to bell. “He was telling us how incredible it was and all of the things that have changed in their school because of this. Some we anticipated. Test scores went up. Bullying went down, engagement between students went up.”

There were a couple of surprising results, he said. “Attendance went up significantly. That was not something we had planned on but it turns out in that environment people enjoyed being together and interacting with each other. Kids want to be there and they show up.”

“I’m here today to talk about why losing devices in schools matters so deeply to me and why it continues to matter for students across the state of Utah,” said Avery Gonzales, a student from Cache County. “By passing SB178 last session, Utah’s had a powerful message that students' learning and well-being are worth standing up for.”

Advocating for this bill as a high school student in Cache County was not easy, she said. “At the time many of my peers were upset with me. They felt betrayed. They thought I was trying to  take something away from them. I remember feeling terrified to speak up but I also knew staying silent was the wrong answer.”

What happened next changed everything, said Gonzales. “When the bill was passed and was implemented, many of those students and parents came back to me and said ‘thank you.’ They didn’t realize how much their phones were pulling them away from their classmates, teachers and even from themselves.”

The bell-to-bell approach creates consistency and clarity, she said. “It allows students to fully disconnect from their screens and fully reconnect with learning and with each other. This won’t just change schools, it will change lives.”