Strict Utah school bans phones and MIRRORS to stop vain students from 'lingering' and being late for class. Do you agree?

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:15, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 15:18, 10 June 2026 A Utah high school has removed all its bathroom mirrors to prevent students from lingering and being late to class. Kearns High School in Salt Lake City took down all mirrors from its restrooms last month, according to Granite School District officials. Students were 'spending too much time in the bathroom,' district spokesperson Luke Allen told The Salt Lake Tribune. 'At their discretion, our schools can choose to remove mirrors from bathrooms in an effort to prevent lingering in the bathrooms,' Allen said. 'Students spending too much time in the bathrooms can lead to numerous issues, including overcrowding, tardiness, and vandalism.' It comes as a new state law banning cell phone use during the school day is set to go into effect on July 1. Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the law, known as the 'bell-to-bell' ban, back in March. The law prohibits the use of all personal devices during the school day, including at lunch, recess, and free periods. Kearns High School in Salt Lake City took down all mirrors from its restrooms last month in an effort to prevent lingering Students were 'spending too much time in the bathroom,' which can lead to 'overcrowding, tardiness and vandalism,' school district officials said 'By reducing screen time in schools and strengthening digital safety, we're establishing our bell-to-bell cell phone restriction so students can focus, connect and learn,' Cox said.  At Kearns High, school officials said they are already seeing an improvement in student behavior since the mirrors were removed. 'It has helped prevent absenteeism and vandalism in the bathrooms,' Assistant Principal Jeremy Smith told the newspaper. Allen added that the only place mirrors are still available for students is in the locker room, but accommodations can be made if a student desperately needs to see themselves. 'There's no policy that would prohibit a student from bringing a hand-held mirror to school as long as it doesn't become a distraction to the learning environment,' Allen said. The no-mirrors policy has divided the community, with many critics claiming it infringes on the students' freedom.   'Have we lost our minds? Why can’t kids handle powdering their noses and combing their hair?' one person wrote on Facebook. 'For a state that loves to preach about freedom, they seem to create a lot of laws to prohibit behaviors they don’t like,' wrote another.  It comes as a new state law banning cell phone use during the school day is set to go into effect on July 1 Your browser does not support iframes. A third person added, 'Omg, like it’s bad enough we have ICE. Now we have school Nazi principals. Take away the mirrors, the books, the freedom. Prisons everywhere. So it feels normal?' Others defended the policy, claiming that mirrors are still available to students who need them. 'It’s fine. The kids don’t need to look in the mirror all day,' one person wrote. A second person added, 'Oh brother. There are still mirrors.' Utah is just one of dozens of states that have enacted full-day restrictions on student cellphone use. Those include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and New York. Florida was the first to pass such a law in 2023, setting off a wave of similar legislation across the country. Several other states have stopped short of formal bans. Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, South Dakota, and Washington have issued guidance encouraging local school districts to adopt their own cellphone policies. Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, and Wyoming currently have no statewide law or official guidance in place. Studies have shown that the average teen spends a significant amount of time on their smartphone, with recent studies indicating around 5.5 to 8.5 hours daily across all activities, with roughly 1.5 hours during school hours alone.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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