Can limiting phone use improve children’s grades? What the research shows

A homework session can stretch across an evening when every difficult question becomes an invitation to check a phone. For families, the useful question is whether clearer limits can give learning more room—and whether that extra room translates into better results.

Some studies have found academic improvements after schools restricted phone use, particularly among students who were previously struggling. Other large studies have found little or no average improvement. Phone limits can be a practical part of a study routine, but the research does not establish a guaranteed increase in grades for every child.

Below, we separate measured school outcomes from suggestions for home. DinoLock helps put questions before access to selected apps; the school studies discussed here did not test DinoLock.

The real numbers at a glance

These studies measured different outcomes in different settings. Read each result in its own units: a test-score effect, time spent on a phone, and a mathematics score gap are not interchangeable measures.

Where researchers observed an academic improvement

Beland and Murphy’s study in Labour Economics linked policy surveys from 91 schools in four English cities to exam records, comparing changes across schools with different ban timings.

The highest-achieving fifth showed no detectable benefit. The gains in the table describe changes relative to the spread of exam scores, rather than percentage increases in grades.

This policy evaluation did not randomly assign children to limits. Its findings may not transfer to another school or a family’s homework routine.

Sara Abrahamsson’s 2024 Norwegian discussion paper also reported improved grade-point averages among girls after school smartphone bans, with larger benefits among girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. It used administrative records and school policy information in an event-study design. Its findings concern particular groups and policies, and the cited version is a discussion paper rather than a peer-reviewed journal article.

Why limits do not always produce better grades

The 2025 SMART Schools study compared 1,227 pupils aged 12–15 across 30 English secondary schools. Restrictive policies were associated with 0.67 fewer hours of phone use during school—about 40 minutes, with a 95% confidence interval of roughly 26–55 minutes. However, there was no significant difference in English or mathematics attainment, or in overall weekday and weekend phone use.

This was a cross-sectional comparison, not a before-and-after randomized experiment. It cannot determine what would happen if the same child changed schools or adopted a home limit. It also shows why a reduction during one part of the day should not be mistaken for a reduction across the whole day.

A US NBER working paper revised in September 2026 evaluated lockable phone pouches using teacher reports, phone GPS data, test scores and administrative records. Pouch adoption substantially reduced phone use, but average test-score effects were close to zero over the first three years. High schools showed modest positive effects, especially in mathematics, while middle schools showed small negative effects. These findings challenge the idea that a restriction alone reliably raises achievement.

What distraction data can—and cannot—tell parents

In OECD’s PISA 2022 results, about 30% of students across OECD countries reported being distracted by their own use of digital devices in most or every mathematics lesson. Students reporting frequent distraction scored 15 points lower in mathematics than those reporting it never or almost never, after accounting for student and school socioeconomic profiles.

That pattern makes distraction worth addressing. It does not prove that phones caused the entire gap or that removing a phone would recover those points. School quality, study habits and other differences can matter. School bans, home app limits and planned educational screen use are also different interventions.

A practical routine: protect study time and give it a purpose

A useful family experiment combines a clear boundary with a specific learning task. The suggestions below are practical choices, not a protocol tested in the studies above. Agree on the routine together and adapt it to the child’s age, schoolwork and access needs.

• Choose one predictable study period. Name the task before starting—for example, revising a topic and answering a few relevant questions. Keep essential communication and required school tools accessible.
• Reduce the interruptions you can see. Put the phone out of reach or restrict the particular entertainment apps that interrupt the task. Turn off unnecessary notifications during the study period.
• Use the protected time for active work. Try answering a question from memory, checking the answer and revisiting mistakes. For the learning research behind this approach, read our retrieval-practice article.
• Make the break predictable. Agree when entertainment becomes available and when the next study period starts. Avoid changing the rule halfway through the session.
• Review what actually changes. Over the next week or two, note interruptions, completed work, quiz accuracy and how manageable the routine feels. This short check cannot establish a lasting grade improvement or isolate the effect of the limit.

Where DinoLock fits

DinoLock lets you shield selected iPhone apps and answer study questions to earn access time for correct answers. That can make a small learning task part of the transition to an app break. Our study-before-scrolling guide explains the setup.

Core app blocking and answering questions to earn access are free. Creating or importing custom questions from topics, photos or documents requires Premium. Review generated questions and answer keys, and choose material that matches the learner’s schoolwork. DinoLock requires iOS 17 or later; restrictions depend on Screen Time permissions and device settings.

The research above does not establish that DinoLock improves grades or reproduces school-ban effects. Its role is to support a repeatable routine: protect a little attention, complete a meaningful task, then take a planned break. Judge that routine by the learning it supports and how well it works for your family.

Sources

• Beland, L.-P. & Murphy, R. (2016). Ill Communication: Technology, distraction & student performance. Labour Economics, 41, 61–76.
• Abrahamsson, S. (2024). Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health. NHH Discussion Paper 01/2024.
• Goodyear, V. A. and colleagues (2025). SMART Schools: a cross-sectional observational study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 51, 101211.
• Allcott, H. and colleagues (2026). The Effects of School Phone Bans: National Evidence from Lockable Pouches. NBER Working Paper 35132, revised September 2026.
• OECD (2023). PISA 2022 Results, Volume II. Digital distraction and classroom climate, including Table II.B1.3.13.