The measure now returns to the Republican-led Senate, which has passed its own version. Both chambers must agree on the same bill before it can go to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has urged lawmakers to adopt a start-to-dismissal ban and is expected to sign a measure that reaches his desk.

Schools would not have to confiscate phones, but each would need to establish a policy restricting student use during the day. The bill allows exceptions for students with certain medical conditions or special needs.

Rep. Mandy Steele, a Democrat from Allegheny County who backed the bill, pointed to declining test scores and rising mental-health concerns among young people. She described children as being “held captive by Big Tech” and said removing phones from schools was a basic step lawmakers could take.

The proposal has bipartisan support, but lawmakers raised questions about its scope. Rep. Scott Barger, a Republican representing Blair and Huntington counties, opposed the bill because it includes exceptions. If phones are dangerous, he argued, they should be removed for every student without exceptions.

The debate comes as states increasingly restrict phones in schools. Thirty states, including New Jersey, have adopted bell-to-bell bans, while eight others prohibit phones during instructional time, according to Education Week. Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union supports a statewide ban, while the Pennsylvania School Boards Association opposes one, saying most of the state’s 500 school districts already have cellphone policies.

Some school leaders have also questioned how full-day restrictions would be enforced and argued students should learn to manage their own device use. A statewide rule would replace that range of local approaches with a common standard, while leaving schools to decide how to enforce it.