Does the mere presence of smartphones impact cognition in the high school classroom?

The regulation of smartphone use in high schools is a contentious issue. Among others, a key question is whether the location of learners’ phones affects their cognitive performance in the classroom. While some studies have found that a smartphone’s mere presence can impair cognition, others suggest that the evidence is weak, or that when separated from their phones, adolescents may experience anxiety which can also harm cognitive performance. We conducted two experimental studies at different high schools to test the effects of smartphone location on performance in a fluid intelligence task. Study 1 (n = 195; learner’s desk: n = 96; schoolbag: n = 99) was conducted at a boys-only high school, while Study 2 (n = 115; learner’s desk: n = 41; schoolbag: n = 49; teacher’s desk: n = 25) was conducted a girls-only high school. Both studies were conducted in normal class settings and administered by teachers to enhance ecological validity. Across both studies, we found no clear evidence that having the phone on the desk impaired performance. In some comparisons, learners performed slightly worse when phones were in schoolbags and slightly better when phones were placed on the teacher’s desk, but these effects were small and not robust. Learners did not report elevated anxiety when separated from their phones. Overall, our findings highlight the need for further research to clarify whether and how phone location influences cognitive performance in school settings, and to better understand the psychological and attentional mechanisms involved.