California passes law restricting the use of smartphones in schools
Kyiv • UNN
The governor of California signed a law restricting smartphones in schools until 2026. The goal is to reduce the risk of mental illness and improve student learning.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill requiring schools to limit or ban the use of smartphones, amid consensus that excessive use can increase the risk of mental illness and impair learning. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that thirteen other US states have banned or restricted the use of mobile phones in schools this year or recommended that local educators do so after Florida was the first to ban phones in classrooms in 2023.
California, with nearly 5.9 million public school students, followed the lead of its own Los Angeles County, whose school board banned smartphones for its 429,000 students in June.
In the same month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for the introduction of warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those on cigarette packages, equating the problem to a mental health emergency.
Murthy cited a study in the medical journal JAMA that shows teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media may be at increased risk for mental illness. He also cited a Gallup poll showing that the average teenager spends 4.8 hours a day on social media.
The California bill, which passed 76-0 in the state Assembly and 38-1 in the Senate, requires school boards or other governing bodies to develop policies to restrict or prohibit the use of smartphones by students on school grounds by July 1, 2026, and to update those policies every five years.
We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, but we have the power to intervene. This new law will help students focus on their learning, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, while they're at school,
Recall
As UNN previously reported, back in June of this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to restrict the use of smartphones by students during school hours, citing mental health risks associated with social media, and intended to work with the legislature on this initiative.
