Mexico weighs nationwide school cellphone rules as 16 states act

Mexico is moving toward a nationwide debate on restricting cellphone use in basic-education classrooms. The federal government has scheduled a consultation for August 24–25 during the intensive phase of the Technical School Councils (CTE), where more than a million teachers will weigh in on the issue. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the goal is to hear from teachers, who are the direct link between students and parents, and to eventually regulate cellphone use across the country Source: Milenio, Heraldo.

Current landscape

According to a July 20 federal announcement, 16 states already have some form of regulation restricting cellphones in basic-education classrooms, including Aguascalientes, Campeche, Mexico City, Coahuila, Durango, State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, and Tamaulipas. Meanwhile, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sinaloa, and Quintana Roo have legislative initiatives in progress, and Tlaxcala has issued administrative guidelines Source: Milenio.

State-level action

Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara announced on August 18 that his state is studying the possibility of regulating cellphones, saying they "do a lot of damage to children" and that he may present a proposal to Congress. "We want to be among the leading states in the use of these cellphones," he said Source: Heraldo.

Exceptions and protocols

Regulations vary by state. For example, in the State of Mexico, a decree published on May 20, 2026, limits device use "exclusively to academic purposes" but allows use in personal emergencies with prior authorization from school staff. There is no single national protocol; restrictions generally apply during class hours rather than banning phones outright Source: Milenio.