Reading Studies

 A recent study indicates that elementary school students with personal cellphones score lower on reading comprehension tests than those without. The study involved 106 students and found that, while having a phone present during a short test did not impact scores, long-term ownership correlated with weaker reading skills. The study suggests that the distraction from phones is cumulative, affecting sustained attention and deep reading over time.

Greenfield, P. M., Hanna, M., Burgos-Calvillo, R., & Rhinehart, L. (2026). Children, cell Phones, and reading comprehension. Behavioral Sciences, 16(8), 1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16081263  https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/16/8/1263

Experts in literacy and cognition highlight how students' reading habits have shifted from long-form texts to short snippets on social media. Cognitive neuroscientists note that long-form reading requires sustained attention and effort, which fosters empathy and a richer understanding of complex perspectives, while psychologists say short-form reading may improve multitasking but demands less cognitive effort.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/long-form-vs-short-reading-whats-going-on-inside-a-students-brain/2026/10 

Tech Adoption Trends Reports

 Americans’ Use of Internet, Broadband in 2026

The internet represents a fundamental shift in how Americans connect with one another, gather information and conduct their day-to-day lives. Explore the patterns, trends and statistics of internet and home broadband adoption in the United States. 97% adults use the Internet, but those with lower income levels and formal education are less likely to say they subscribe to a broadband service at home. Today, 16% of U.S. adults are “smartphone-only” internet users, meaning they own a smartphone but do not subscribe to a home broadband service.

Americans’ Use of Social Media in 2026

Today YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. Explore the demographic patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape. Usage of the major social media platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

Americans’ Use of Mobile Devices in 2026

Americans today are increasingly connected to the world of digital information while “on the go” via smartphones. Explore the latest patterns, trends and statistics that have shaped the mobile revolution. The vast majority of U.S. adults (98%) own a cellphone of some kind. About nine-in-ten (91%) own a smartphone, up from just 35% in the Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011--though some differences do emerge, particularly by age, household income and education.

Fact sheets: Technology adoption trends. Pew Research Center.

https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/tech-adoptions-trends/

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Cell Phone Ban Update Report

“With virtually all students in the country now attending a school with some sort of cellphone restriction, [the researchers] wondered what challenges schools face in implementing and enforcing these rules, and how students themselves are experiencing cellphone bans. … [In] October 2025 and May 2026, [the researchers] asked a nationally representative sample of teens, including those attending public, private, and charter schools … about their schools’ cellphone policies and their own experiences with phone rules during the school year. … [The researchers’] evidence suggests that policies like bell-to-bell bans persist across the year more than less-strict policies. … [Under] bell-to-bell policies, there was a 10 percentage-point increase in the proportion of teens reporting using their phones during core classes (25% to 35% …). In schools with less-strict policies, there was an 18 percentage-point increase (from 32% to over 50%). Although cellphone usage increased across the board by the end of the year, the increase at schools with less-strict policies was nearly double the increase … at schools with stricter policies. … Although there was little change in the proportion of teens perceiving a positive impact of their school’s phone policy, with most shifts moving away from negative perceptions toward neutral perceptions, our results are still consistent with teens learning that navigating a day without their phones is not as devastating as they might have imagined.”

 Silver, D. et al. (2026, Sept. 10). A year later, What teens tell us about school cellphone bans. Brookings.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-year-later-what-teens-tell-us-about-school-cellphone-bans/