Survey: Teachers support restricting classroom cellphone use

Teachers overwhelmingly support restricting the student use of cellphones in the classroom, according to a survey by the Association of American Educators, or AAE, released earlier this month.

The association surveyed more than 1,500 teachers across the country and found that 70 percent ranked cell phone use as one of their top five concerns. It ranked second behind academic achievement. 

More than half of the teachers surveyed said cell phones are a distraction from learning, while about a quarter cited mental health concerns for their support of bans.

AAE Executive Director Colin Sharkey said: "Locally developed policies that greatly restrict cell phone use throughout the school day appear to be broadly popular among educators, including those with school-aged children."

A majority of teachers, 70 percent, want cell phones to be banned during the entire school day, while 26 percent support classroom bans. Less than two percent opposed cell phone restrictions.

More than half of the teachers surveyed said that their schools already ban cell phones on campus during the entire school day, while less than half reported that their schools ban cell phones only during class time.