There is a growing trend across the United States for schools to ban cell phone use. This trend is also spreading in Maine, where more than 30 school districts have now voted to ban or restrict cell phone use in schools, according to WGME.

The most recent city to adopt these measures is Bath, where the school board recently voted to implement new policies for middle and high school students, according to the article.

Deputy headteacher Katie Joseph pointed out that research links screen time to harmful effects on students’ mental health, saying:

“Our school leadership has been reviewing this study for years. Because our primary goal is to improve mental health services and support in our schools, we decided to implement policies rather than banning phones and smartwatches entirely.”

Under these new rules, students in Bath will use Yondr Pouches to store their phones and smartwatches during school hours.

Here’s how it works: As soon as students arrive, they place their devices in these bags, which they keep with them throughout the day. The bags are designed to be locked, so access to the devices is only possible after the end of the last class, when the bags are demagnetized.

The aim is to increase students’ concentration, improve their relationships and increase their general well-being.

Bath resident Shannon Stahlmann supports this saying: “Many things accessed on the phone are not conducive to mental health and can distract from school work.”

This initiative is part of a broader effort to create a healthier learning environment by eliminating the distraction of phones.

Not all schools use the bags, but instead use different methods to limit cell phone use in schools.

Here is the list of all schools that follow this ban:

See how individual schools are implementing this ban here.

• Ashland District School
• Noble Middle School, Berwick
• Blue Hill Community School
• Cape Elizabeth Middle School
• Caribou-Gymnasium
• Central High School, Corinth
• Marshwood Middle School, Eliot
• Falmouth Middle School
• WG Mallett School in Farmington
• Fort Kent Community School
  
• Narragansett Elementary School, Gorham
• MSAD 15, Grey
• Reeds Brook Middle School, Hampden
• Hermon Middle School
• Penobscot Valley High School/Hichborn Middle School, Howland
• Saint Dominic Academy, Lewiston
• Limestone Community School
• Madawaska Middle/High School
• MSAD 42, Mars Hill
• Leonard Middle School, Old Town
• Orono High School
• Bruce M Whittier Middle School, Poland
• Presque Isle Middle School
• Maranacook High School, Readfield
• Mountain Valley High School, Rumford
• Washburn District Elementary School
• Windham Middle School
• RSU 14, Windham