COBB COUNTY, GA — The Cobb County School District has adopted a new, stricter policy limiting the use of electronic devices for students in kindergarten through eighth grade to comply with a newly passed state law.

The policy bans not only cell phones, but also devices such as smart watches, headphones, ear-buds, tablets and e-readers for K–8 students. District leaders say the changes will bring Cobb County schools into alignment with updated state requirements taking effect next year.

The new law, known as the Distraction-Free Education Act, is designed to boost focus in the classroom by requiring students to store their devices during the school day, with some medical exemptions. The law is set to go into effect next fall, while the Cobb County policy takes effect in 2026.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district will comply with the law but pushed back on the idea of expanding the ban to high schools.

“When we’re discussing banning those cell phones in the high school arena, that is a different environment truly than K–8,” Ragsdale said.

Ragsdale added that teachers and administrators are already managing technology misuse in schools and said those decisions should be left to them.

“Our teachers, our principals, our district are already managing cellphones, however the law is the law and we will follow the law,” he said.

Board member Becky Saylor said the new policy is stricter than what the district previously had in place and could present challenges.

“So if we see a need to change how we’re restricting it or how we’re communicating with parents, I just want to reiterate that we are open to that and that we can use the data to help us make a better decision later,” Saylor said.

Saylor said the board plans to evaluate data over the next several months and could revisit the policy if there is a significant increase in infractions. “If we’re having a massive uptick in infractions because this is a different approach than what we’ve been doing,” she said.

School leaders say districts across Georgia are trying to adapt to advances in technology that can cause distractions and lost learning time in classrooms. Cell phones, tablets, artificial intelligence and social media are all cited as challenges that can impact student attention spans and mental health, prompting more districts to limit or ban device use during the school day.

While some metro Atlanta districts that have extended similar bans to high schools report positive results, Cobb County leaders say they are not prepared to take that step at this time.

WSB Radio’s Michelle Wright contributed to this story.