Teens spend more than a quarter of their time at school on phones, new study finds

A new study shows that more than a quarter of high school-aged students' time spent on their smartphones occurs in school. It comes as state lawmakers across the country introduce and pass legislation aimed at cracking down on student cellphone usage in schools. 

"I'm not a big fan of government controlling people's lives, but in this context, I'm all for it," psychotherapist Thomas Kersting told Fox News Digital. Kersting is a former school counselor who has lectured for 16 years about the adolescent impact of increased screen time. He wrote a bestselling book called "Disconnected," which posited that increased screen time for kids is re-wiring their brains. 

But while parents may be apprehensive, taking phones out of school can help improve students' test scores, attention spans and socialization, while reducing the need for disciplinary intervention, Kersting said.

The study by Seattle Children's Hospital found that, excluding web browsers, the top five apps or categories used by school-aged students were messaging, Instagram, video streaming, audio apps and email.