Focus on Learning Act
Key claim: This House bill would have the Surgeon General study how phones affect K-12 learning and mental health, and would create an Education Department pilot to help schools buy lockers and containers to keep students’ phones locked away during the school day.
Abstract
(HR1275 · 119th Congress) Focus on Learning Act This bill requires certain federal actions to address the use of mobile devices in elementary and secondary schools. First, the bill directs the Office of the Surgeon General, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to study and report on the use of mobile devices in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Among other elements, this study must include the impact of mobile device use on student learning and academic achievement, student educational outcomes, and student mental health. Second, the Department of Education, in consultation with HHS, must establish a pilot program to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to enable participating schools served by such LEAs to purchase secure containers and install lockers in order to create a school environment free of mobile devices. Latest action (2025-02-12): Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Why this matters
Federal policy on classroom phone use has so far been driven by state and district action; this bill would create the first federal grant pilot specifically to fund phone-storage hardware and commission a Surgeon General evidence review. For students and schools, the practical change would be optional funding to adopt pouches or lockers, plus a federal evidence base that could shape future K-12 technology and mental-health policy.