As school phone bans proliferate across the United States, new data from Findmykids, a family safety and parental control app, shows that children are using their phones significantly less during school hours, but their total daily screen time has remained virtually unchanged. The findings suggest that while such bans achieve their immediate goal of reducing in-school phone use, they do not necessarily translate into an overall reduction in screen time, raising important questions for parents and educators about the effectiveness of these policies.
According to anonymized data from Findmykids, 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. However, total daily use stayed almost flat at roughly six hours: 367 minutes in 2025 and 365 minutes 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. This indicates that the reduction in school phone use did not lead to a corresponding drop in overall screen time; instead, children appear to have shifted their phone usage to other times of day.
What changed was the app mix: social media gained 20.6 minutes a day, while games lost 17.5 minutes. This shift suggests that when phone use is restricted during school, children may compensate by spending more time on social media outside of school hours. The Analytics Team at Findmykids noted, "Cutting phone use at school and cutting a child's total screen time are two separate tasks. For parents, the better question is when the phone gets used and what for." This insight underscores the complexity of managing children's screen time and the need for a more nuanced approach that considers the timing and purpose of phone use, rather than simply banning devices in certain settings.
For parents seeking to address their children's screen time, the Findmykids app offers tools to monitor how much time a child spends on their phone and which apps they use. Parents can then set limits or block distracting and inappropriate apps, and 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 also 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. Letem LTD, the developer of Findmykids, describes the app as a globally recognized family safety and parental control application designed to provide parents with peace of mind through real-time location tracking, app usage monitoring, and SOS features. As school phone bans continue to spread, the data from Findmykids highlights the importance of looking beyond in-school restrictions to address children's overall screen time habits, empowering families to raise kids safely in a digital world.
