As school phone bans become more common across the United States, new data shows that while children are using their phones less during the school day, their overall screen time has hardly budged. 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. However, total daily use remained 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 participants in 2025 and 11,112 in 2026. While in-school phone use dropped, the app mix shifted significantly. Social media gained 20.6 minutes a day, while games lost 17.5 minutes. This suggests that children are simply reallocating their screen time rather than reducing it.
"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." This insight underscores a critical implication: school bans alone may not address overall screen habits. Parents need to focus on the context and purpose of phone use, not just the total hours.
Findmykids offers tools to help parents manage screen time more effectively. In the app, parents can 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 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.
The findings have significant implications for educators and policymakers. While school phone bans can successfully reduce in-school usage, they do not automatically lead to less overall screen time. As children shift their usage to social media and other apps outside of school hours, parents and guardians must adopt a more nuanced approach. Tools like Findmykids, developed by Letem LTD, empower families to monitor and manage screen time based on when and how phones are used. With features like real-time location tracking, app usage monitoring, and SOS alerts, Findmykids aims to help families raise kids safely in a digital world. For more information, visit https://findmykids.org/.
