California would change into the fifth state to require public schools to limit or ban students' smartphone use on school grounds, based on a bill that Governor Gavin Newsom supports and is anticipated to sign.
The bipartisan Phone-Free Schools Act (Bill 3216) would require school districts to implement smartphone restrictions by July 1, 2026, and to review their policies every five years. If the law becomes law, California would join Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina and Ohio in adopting statewide restrictions on cellphone use on public school campuses.
“Now is the time to not only empower but require all school districts to take actions that not only promote student learning by limiting or restricting smartphone use, but also protect the mental health of their teens,” said Al Muratsuchi, Democratic Assembly member and co-author of the bill.
Newsom, who has been a vocal advocate for cellphone restrictions on school campuses, had already passed a law in 2019 – AB 272 – that empowers school districts to limit or ban student cellphone use at school. In June, he said he wanted to construct on that law to further restrict student cellphone use, but didn’t provide details.
The governor reiterated the importance of smartphone restrictions earlier this month when he sent a statewide letter urging educators to instantly restrict cell phones on campus when students return to classrooms.
The phone-free time bill was authored by Muratsuchi of Torrance – who also authored AB 272 – together with Republican Rep. Josh Hoover of Folsom and Democratic Reps. David Alvarez of Chula Vista and Josh Lowenthal of Long Beach.
“We're Democrats and Republicans, but what we all have in common is that we're all parents and we've all experienced this firsthand,” Hoover said. “I firmly believe this is an area of concern across the country.”
Muratsuchi said he introduced AB 272 not only as a state legislator, but in addition as the daddy of a teenage daughter. A growing body of research points to a link between teen smartphone use and anxiety, depression and suicide, he said, making the necessity for smartphone restrictions more necessary than ever.
The governor’s letter to varsities cited a survey by the Pew Research Institute According to a study by Common Sense Media, 72% of highschool teachers and 33% of middle school teachers say mobile phone distraction is a serious problem. A survey by Common Sense Media found that 97% of scholars use their phones for a mean of 43 minutes through the school day.
Hoover said the important difference between AB 3216 and existing 2019 laws is that it now requires every school within the state to adopt policies restricting smartphone use through the school day and revise those policies every five years. He said there are not any specific requirements for districts within the bill to offer schools flexibility in deciding restrict or ban cellphone use.
The California School Boards Association, which represents the state's public trustees, strongly opposes the bill since it says it fails to bear in mind the numerous demographic and ideological differences among the many state's 940 school districts and 58 county school boards.
Troy Flint, the association's communications director, said advocates on each side were “well-intentioned” and were attempting to do what was best for college kids' safety and mental health.
“We have no fundamental objections to banning cell phones and encourage districts to consider whether this makes sense for them,” said Flint. “However, we reject the blanket nationwide regulation.”
Flint said the association disagrees with Hoover on whether the bill respects local control “to the extent necessary.”
“We have a lot of different situations in California,” he explained. “Kids who ride an hour to school on the bus… kids with disabilities… This is a rare problem where everyone means well and, in their own way, is trying to do what they think is best.”
Hoover confirmed that the phone-free schools law doesn’t remove any of the present exceptions to existing law – including in emergencies or when students are allowed to make use of their phones in school.
Under current law, students even have the appropriate to access their mobile phones in the event that they are at risk, similar to a college shooting or a curfew.
The bill is supported by the Los Angeles Unified School District – which voted earlier this summer to ban students from using cell phones starting in 2025 – and the California Teachers Association, one among the state's largest teachers' unions.
“Our union supports improving the school environment and limiting smartphone use on campus,” said David Goldberg, president of the teachers union.
Bay Area schools are split on the difficulty. Some schools have expressed support for smartphone restrictions, including San Mateo High School, which became a cellphone-free campus in 2019.
Others, similar to the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District and the Palo Alto Unified School District, imagine that cell phones are vital for a lot of families and that the proposed bans make no sense in schools that depend on technology to support student learning.
Muratsuchi said smartphones are still relatively recent and society has yet to adapt to their impact.
“We need to rethink this culture of constant access to smartphones,” Muratsuchi said, “given the growing evidence of its harmful effects on students' education and mental health.”
Originally published:
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