As school phone bans spread across the United States, children are using their phones less during the school day, but their overall screen time has barely budged, according to anonymized data from Findmykids, a family safety and parental control app. In September 2026, the average U.S. child used their phone for 34.7 minutes a day at school, down about 15% from 40.7 minutes a year earlier. Yet total daily use remained almost flat at roughly six hours: 367 minutes in 2025 and 365 in 2026. The study compared U.S. children ages 9 to 18 during the same September week, with 15,152 participants in 2025 and 11,112 in 2026.
The stability in total screen time suggests that restricting phone use in one setting does not necessarily reduce overall exposure. Instead, the app mix shifted: social media gained 20.6 minutes a day, while games lost 17.5 minutes. This indicates that children may be reallocating time rather than cutting back. For parents and educators, the findings highlight that school bans alone may not address broader concerns about screen time and its effects on health, attention, and social development.
"Cutting phone use at school and cutting a child's total screen time are two separate tasks," said the Analytics Team at Findmykids. "For parents, the better question is when the phone gets used and what for." This perspective underscores the need for a more nuanced approach to managing children's digital habits. Rather than focusing solely on where phones are used, parents might benefit from understanding the patterns and purposes of that use.
Findmykids offers tools that can help parents gain that understanding. In the app, parents can see how much time their child spends on their phone and which apps they use, then set limits or block distracting and inappropriate apps. They can also schedule screen-free periods around times when phone use may be less appropriate, such as before and after school, during homework, or before bedtime. Location-based screen-time insights add another layer of context, showing which apps were used and for how long in different places. Beyond screen-time management, Findmykids provides family location sharing, allowing parents to see where family members are and, for example, know when their child arrives at school or leaves it.
The full study is available on the Findmykids blog. For families navigating the complexities of digital parenting, the data serves as a reminder that school policies are only one piece of the puzzle. As phone bans become more common, the implications extend beyond the classroom: without complementary strategies at home, children's overall screen time may remain unchanged, and the benefits of reduced in-school use could be offset by increased use elsewhere. Parents seeking to manage their children's screen time can learn more at https://findmykids.org/.
