Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill that would require California school districts to limit or ban student cell phone use, forcing the state with the nation’s largest number of K-12 schools to take the lead in a growing effort to weed out distracted students. their devices in the classroom and focus on learning.
The law, called the Phone-Free Schools Act, requires California’s 1,000 school districts, charter schools and district education offices to draft student cell phone policies by July 1, 2026. It’s up to local schools that students should be banned from using cell phones altogether. . But the law requires schools to restrict phone use to “support student learning and well-being.”
“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems — but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said in a statement after signing the bill. “This new law will help students to focus on studies, social development and the world in front of them, not their screens when they are at school.”
The law comes after the Los Angeles Unified School District approved an even stricter policy than the state, calling for a ban on direct calls during the school day by January 2025. The details of how the ban will work are being discussed.
California is joining several states in a rapidly expanding effort to limit or ban students from using cell phones while on campus.
Last year, Florida passed a law banning student cell phones in K-12 classrooms. A similar law will go into effect next year in Indiana, while in Ohio the governor recently signed a bill into law requiring schools to come up with policies to “reduce” student cell phone use. In Virginia, the governor also ordered schools to have a “cell phone free education” in January by requiring students to put their phones away during the day, including at lunch.
In New York City, officials with the nation’s largest school system said last month they would table plans to reinstate the cell phone ban, which was in effect until 2015. New York Mayor Eric Adams said he and the school’s chancellor want to see what the limits are. worked in Los Angeles and elsewhere before moving on.
Although deliberately flexible, California law contains few specifics. It says schools can’t prevent a student from having a cell phone if a doctor or licensed surgeon says the student needs the device for health-related reasons. It also states that students in certain individual education programs may be allowed to cross the boundaries.
Under this law, students will be allowed access to telephones during emergencies. However, the law does not say that the phone must be the one used by the student. It is up to school districts to decide what constitutes an emergency and how phones can be used.
The issue of emergencies has been contested by students and parents. Last month, after students texted parents during a shooting at a Georgia high school that killed four people, Newsom answered questions at a press conference about his support for cell phone restrictions.
“All kinds of considerations” will be considered as schools spend the next two years formulating policies, adding that cell phones are “disrupting the ability to have quality learning time.”
LA Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho said the district is looking at when students can use phones in the classroom, what situations will be defined as emergencies and how schools can give students “reasonable access” to phones in those situations.
On the other hand, he said, English language learners may need to rely on their devices to study, just as students with diabetes may need a phone to monitor their glucose levels.
State law also gives teachers and administrators permission to override their school district’s policy, effectively creating their own.
LA Unified still has important decisions to make about its rules, including how much autonomy to give schools to create their own cell phone policies. Options being considered in LA include using cell phone wallets that stay locked until the student opens them using a magnetic device. Phones could also be collected at the beginning of class or placed in cell phone cabinets. Technology can be deployed to make cell phones unable to be used for calling, texting and accessing the Internet even when the devices are in the student’s hands.
“We’re excited to see the rest of the state follow our lead in supporting student learning and mental health,” said Los Angeles school board member Nick Melvoin, who endorsed the LA decision.
A spokesperson for the district added that LAUSD hopes the state law “encourages radical change for a generation of students who will be able to focus on learning, socializing and enjoying themselves in the learning environment without the distraction and danger of cell phones.”
In Los Angeles, teachers and parents were overwhelmingly supportive of the restrictions. In addition to emergencies, some parents expressed concerns about scheduling, such as taking school photos. Students have not been very enthusiastic, although some have succeeded in schools that have already implemented cell phone restrictions.
When she heard about the new state law, Madison Thacker, a principal at Van Nuys High School, said she hoped school districts would avoid cell phone bans and simply put restrictions in place.
“There’s a big difference between using cell phones in the classroom versus during lunch and eating or other things,” said Thacker, who said the ban in Los Angeles is “all the students are talking about” at his school, where he attends. the art of magnetic system.
“Yes, I can see why we need to be limited in the classroom, but cell phones are part of our lives.” he said. “I don’t see why they should be expelled if we are not in class. I don’t see why we need a complete ban or treating mobile phones as the enemy.”
A number of LA public schools already had cell phone bans before the district took action. Leaders at those schools say the results are usually positive – although some teachers say enforcement can be difficult and students find ways to comply with the rules, including bringing two phones to school.
Introduced by Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), the bill easily passed both chambers of the legislature with Republican and Democratic support. In a letter last month to public schools, Newsom urged “all school districts to take steps now to limit smartphone use on campus.”
At least one major group, the California School Boards Assn., opposes Newsom’s stance on the law.
Department spokesman Troy Flint said the move removes authority from school district leaders who can do their own research and decide that restricting or banning phones would not be in the best interest of their students.
Outside of this position, Flint said his organization will support school districts in their efforts to comply with the new law and monitor its impact and potential unintended consequences.
Times staff writer Mackenzie Mays contributed to this report.
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