Utah Banned Phones in Schools. Now It's Time to Give Kids Something Better.
Utah Banned Phones in Schools. Now It's Time to Give Kids Something Better.
Governor Spencer Cox just signed one of the most important education bills in Utah's recent history. Senate Bill 69 bans cellphones in K-12 schools from bell to bell. This means no phones during class, lunch, recess, or passing periods for all public schools in the state. For many Utahns who have advocated for this change, it was long overdue. The research is clear: phones in classrooms destroy focus, damage social development, and harm academic achievement. Removing them from the classroom makes sense, but now Utah needs to do more than play defense. The state needs to plan what comes next.
Removing digital distractions is necessary but not sufficient to improve student achievement and protect mental health. For the first time in generations, today's students are underperforming their parents academically and experiencing mental health crises at unprecedented rates. The problem is deeper than just phones, and the solution does not end with simply removing technology. Schools must replace phones with something better — and that something is right outside the classroom doors.
The Evidence for Outdoor Learning
Strong, peer-reviewed research shows that outdoor learning improves academic performance, increases teacher satisfaction, reduces behavioral problems, and significantly improves student mental health. Students who spend regular time learning outdoors develop better attention spans, stronger problem-solving skills, and lower rates of anxiety and depression.
Oregon, Washington, and Maine have all put this data into practice. Since 2016, Oregon has guaranteed every fifth or sixth grader a week of residential outdoor school. Washington and Maine have launched similar state-supported outdoor learning initiatives. These policy priorities, backed by governors and legislatures, demonstrate that childhood development requires more than keeping kids off screens.
Utah's Outdoor Identity vs. Reality
Utah has nothing comparable. American children spend an average of seven hours a day on screens and less than one hour outside. This is a frightening statistic for any state, but especially for one that defines itself by the outdoors. Utah is home to the Mighty Five National Parks, the Greatest Snow on Earth, the Great Salt Lake, and unparalleled access to trails, hiking, streams, and lakes. Yet while families move to Utah for access to nature, the state has no coherent statewide program to connect students with the landscape that surrounds them.
Phone-free classes, lunch, and recess can lead to something better. Utah schools should have the support to connect children with the magnificence of nature through natural observation, team challenges, place-based science, and other age-appropriate outdoor engagements that improve educational outcomes.
The Cost-Benefit Case
This doesn't need to be expensive. Access to the outdoors doesn't require new tech or new buildings. Oregon's Outdoor School costs the state roughly $24 million annually to serve 40,000 students — about $600 per student for a week of instruction, meals, lodging, and transportation. The return on investment includes improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, better behavior, and a lifelong connection to the outdoors.
Utah has an opportunity to lead now. The state has the landscape, a thriving outdoor industry, and a culture that values self-reliance, exploration, and stewardship. What's missing is simply the policy infrastructure to make outdoor learning a right instead of a privilege.
A Call to Action
Governor Cox has shown he's willing to lead on protecting kids from harmful technology. Now he has an opportunity to lead on giving them something better. A statewide outdoor learning initiative would turn phone-free school days into nature-connected learning days. It would position Utah as a national model, not just for what the state is taking out of classrooms, but for what it's putting back in.
SB 69 takes effect July 1. That gives Utah's schools a few months to prepare for a school day without phones. This is the moment to turn a cell phone ban into a gift of something better.
