WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 25, 2026 – Leading child safety and well-being organizations, The Anxious Generation Movement, Smartphone Free Childhood US, Institute for Families and Technology, and Becca Schmill Foundation, today announced that Delaware’s new law received a “D” grade on the national Phone-Free Schools State Report Card.
S.B. 106, sponsored by State Senator David L. Wilson (R-DE) and signed into law by Governor Matt Meyer (D-DE), requires school districts and charter schools to adopt their own policies on student cell phone use. Delaware previously received an “Incomplete” in the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card published in January 2026 as legislative action on S.B. 106 was still pending.
“While Delaware has taken an important first step in addressing cell-phone use in schools, leaving policies up to districts will lead to inequitable implementation,” said Emily Rapp, director of public policy for the Institute for Families and Technology. “We’d like to see Delaware surpass New Jersey with the strongest state-wide phone-free school policy in the Mid-Atlantic by requiring devices be inaccessible to students for the entire school day.”
“Just as states set standards for safety and health, a state-wide bell-to-bell phone-free schools policy would ensure every student in Delaware has the same opportunity to focus fully on learning, free from the constant distractions and proven negative effects of devices,” said Deb Schmill, founder of the Becca Schmill Foundation.
Under the Report Card’s criteria, an “A” grade is awarded when legislation requires all personal electronic devices to be stored in secure, inaccessible locations throughout the entire school day, or from “bell-to-bell.” Bell-to-bell policies are proven to enhance academic performance, improve students’ mental and physical health, increase teacher satisfaction, protect student safety and privacy, and deepen school community relationships.
More information about Delaware’s grade can be found here.
###
About the Phone-Free Schools Report Card
Launched in 2026, the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card is published by leading child safety and well-being organizations, including The Anxious Generation Movement, Smartphone Free Childhood US, Institute for Families and Technology, and Becca Schmill Foundation. The report evaluates whether the laws in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., meet the gold standard for phone-free schools: policies requiring all students to store their personal electronic devices in secure, inaccessible locations for the entire school day (bell-to-bell).