Utah phone-free school law (2026): Utah's default statute prohibits student cellphone, smartwatch, and emerging-technology use during classroom hours. Here's what administrators need to know about compliance, scope, and enforcement.
Utah has enacted a statewide phone-free school law. Under SB 178 (2025) — signed by Gov. Spencer Cox 2025-03-25 — every district must adopt a policy restricting student personal-device use during instructional time. The law takes effect 2025–26 school year, and many Utah districts are choosing to extend their policies bell-to-bell.
What Utah's Phone-Free School Law Requires
- • Statute: SB 178, signed March 25, 2025
- • Default: prohibited during classroom hours
- • Covers smartwatches and emerging technology
- • LEAs may grant local exceptions
- • Effective: 2025–26 school year
How Utah Schools Comply
Utah's law gives districts flexibility on how to enforce. The schools that succeed pair a written policy with an enforcement mechanism that doesn't put the burden on teachers — and that produces compliance data when the state asks for it.
Three enforcement models
- • Physical pouches (e.g., Yondr): high per-student cost, daily distribution logistics, and limited compliance data.
- • District storage (lockers, cubbies, classroom caddies): lowest cost but relies on staff to police compliance.
- • Device-level software (LockedIn): OS-level locking, geofencing, and automated compliance reporting — no daily logistics.
Why Utah schools choose LockedIn
LockedIn is a software-based phone-free campus solution built for Utah's schools. It provides
OS-level device locking,
campus geofencing, real-time monitoring, and automated compliance reports — exactly what Utah administrators need to demonstrate that the policy is being enforced. Unlike physical pouches, there's no hardware to lose, replace, or distribute. See our full
comparison of phone-free campus solutions or the
LockedIn vs Yondr pouches guide.
Verify the law in Utah
Read the primary source — SB 178 (2025) — and confirm the latest guidance with your state agency before adopting policy.
See our complete phone-free school laws by state directory for legislation updates across all 50 states + DC.
Get started
Utah schools can be phone-free in less than a day with LockedIn. Use our free phone-free school policy generator to draft a compliant policy, then contact our team to deploy district-wide.