This is an excerpt of an article in which I was quoted. You can read the full article at the link below.

By Dina El Nabli | September 8, 2026

As the new school year gets underway in New Jersey, students are adjusting to spending the full day without access to their phones under the state’s new bell-to-bell cell phone law.

According to the law, signed in January, public school districts must restrict the non-academic use of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices during the school day. Districts get to decide how they enforce the new law, which took effect at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. That means phones in your child’s school may be required to stay in backpacks, lockers, pouches or another designated area during the school day.

For students used to checking their phones throughout the day, the transition may take time. One of the biggest adjustments may be getting used to not being constantly reachable, said Vanessa E. Greenwood, Ph.D., professor of Communication and Media Studies at Montclair State University.

“Smartphones have created something like a digital umbilical cord between parents and children, an expectation that they can reach one another immediately throughout the day,” Greenwood told New Jersey Family. [read the fully article at NJfamily.com]