Atlanta - Florida is the first law to use mobile phones in schools in 2023.

Just two years later, half of all states have laws in place, and it is more likely to act soon.

Legislatures in states such as New York and Oklahoma have crossed the legislature this year, reflecting a broad consensus that cell phones are harmful to children.

Rep. Jennifer Leeper, a Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Education Committee, on May 13, the co-chair of the Connecticut Board of Education called the phone “our children’s cancer” who “drive isolation, loneliness, reduce attention and have a significant impact on social and emotional well-being, while also learning.”

Republicans expressed similar sentiments.

"It's not just an academic bill," Republican Rep. Scott Hilton said after Georgia's bill: "It's not just an academic bill," banning cell phones in grades K-8 passed in March alone. "This is a mental health bill. It is a public safety bill."

So far, 25 states have passed eight other states and the District of Columbia to implement rules or make recommendations to local areas. Among the states, 16 have taken action this year. Just Tuesday, Alaska lawmakers demanded that schools cover education programs for Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, they vetoed the phone.

More actions are about to happen as Bill waits for the governor’s signature or veto in Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and New Hampshire.

More and more attention has been paid to banning mobile phones throughout school

When Florida first took action, lawmakers ordered schools to ban cell phones during teaching while allowing them between classes or lunch. But there is another bill now awaiting action by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which moves further. This will ban cell phones for primary and secondary schools throughout the school period.

Nine states and the District of Columbia have issued school day bans, most of whom are K-12 students, who now have over seven states with teaching time bans.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong called him a "huge victory" in law throughout his school years.

"The teacher wants it. The parents want it. The principal wants it. The school board wants it," Armstrong said.

Armstrong recently visited a primary school without such a ban. He said he saw the kids interacting with each other and laughing at the table during lunch.

The “Clock to Bell” ban was partially promoted by Excellined (Excelined), founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The organization's political members have been actively lobbying for the ban.

Nathan Hoffman, distinguished senior director of national policy and advocacy, said that all-day calls are prohibited except when students set up or record battles in the hall.

"It's usually when you find some of the biggest behavioral problems, whether they're popular or not," Hoffman said.

Other states want school districts to set their own rules

But other states, especially in a strong tradition of local school control, require only school districts to adopt some sort of mobile phone policy, which believes the district will adopt hints and strictly restrict telephone access. In Maine, some lawmakers initially proposed banning school days, and lawmakers are now considering a rewrite bill that only needs one policy.

And there are some states that have not taken action at all. Perhaps the most dramatic is in Wyoming, where senators voted in January to decide on a bill, with some opponents saying teachers or parents should make rules.

Where decision makers move forward, there is a growing consensus around exceptions. Most states allow students to use electronic devices to monitor medical needs and meet the terms of their special education programs. Some people allow the exception to the translation device if English is not the student's native language, or when the teacher wants the student to use the device to attend class.

There are some unusual exceptions. South Carolina’s original policy allowed exceptions to volunteer firefighters’ students. New West Virginia laws allow smartwatches as long as they are not used for communications.

Some parents and students object to the rules

But by far, the most eye-catching exception is allowing phones to use in emergencies. One of the most common parent objections to the ban is that they will not be able to connect with their children like school shootings in a crisis.

“Only through text messages can parents know what happened,” said Tinya Brown, whose daughter is a freshman at Apalachee High School in northeast Atlanta, where a shooting killed two students and two teachers in September. She opposed Georgia's law at a press conference in March.

Some laws require schools to find other ways for parents to communicate with their children at school, but most legislators say they support having students use their phones at least in an emergency, at least after the danger is at risk.

In some states, students have testified to support the regulations, but it is also obvious that many students, especially in high schools, are building according to the rules. Kaytlin Villescas, a sophomore in the suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was involved in the fight against the ban, which began the petition and told a student at WBRZ-TV in August that Louisiana's law requires a one-day tour ban was misled. She believes that schools should teach responsible.

"Our claim is not to prohibit the use of mobile phones altogether, but should be given responsible guidelines to build a culture of respect and self-regulation," Villescas wrote in an online petition.

Most states do not provide legal funding

Some states provide districts with funding for lockable phone storage bags or other storage solutions. For example, New York plans to spend $13.5 million. But states usually don’t provide cash. New Hampshire lawmakers stripped $1 million from their bills.

“Providing some specific money for this can alleviate some implementation challenges,” Hoffman said. “That is, most states don’t.”

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Associated Press reporter Becky Bohrer is based in Juno, Alaska; Susan Haigh of Hartford, Connecticut; Jack Dura of Bismarck, North Dakota; Kate Payne of Tallahassee, Florida contributed.