School phone bans are spreading across the United States, and new data shows they are having a measurable effect on when children use their phones—but not on how much they use them overall. According to anonymized data from Findmykids, a family safety and parental control app, the average U.S. child used their phone for 34.7 minutes a day at school in September 2026, down about 15% from 40.7 minutes a year earlier. Yet total daily use stayed almost flat at roughly six hours: 367 minutes in 2025 and 365 in 2026.
The study, which compared U.S. children ages 9 to 18 during the same September week, included 15,152 children in 2025 and 11,112 in 2026. While overall screen time barely budged, the mix of apps shifted notably. Social media gained 20.6 minutes a day, while games lost 17.5 minutes. This suggests that when phone use is restricted at school, children may simply reallocate that time to other apps and other hours.
“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.”
The findings matter for parents, educators, and policymakers who have championed school phone bans as a way to reduce children's overall screen exposure. The data indicates that bans can successfully limit in-school use, but they do not automatically translate into less total screen time. Instead, the hours before and after school, during homework, and before bedtime may become the new battlegrounds for managing device use.
For parents seeking to address those out-of-school hours, the Findmykids app allows them to 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 offers 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 is the developer of Findmykids, a globally recognized family safety and parental control application. Designed to provide parents with peace of mind, Findmykids offers real-time location tracking, app usage monitoring, and SOS features, empowering families to raise kids safely in a digital world. Learn more at https://findmykids.org/.
