Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill into law that would require California school districts to limit or ban student cellphone use, prompting the state with the nation’s largest K-12 population to join a growing movement to crack down on students. tools 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 county offices of education to draft student cell phone policies by July 1, 2026. So local schools should ban students from using cell phones altogether. . But the law requires schools to limit phone use to “promote 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 focus on academics, social development and the world in front of them, not the screen, when they’re in school.”
The legislation comes after the Los Angeles Unified School District approved a stricter policy than the state, calling for a ban on live phone calls during the school day by January 2025. Details on the ban are forthcoming.
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 cellphones from K-12 classrooms. A similar law goes into effect next year in Indiana, while in Ohio the governor recently signed a bill into law that makes schools come up with policies to “minimize” the use of cell phones by students. In Virginia, the governor also ordered schools to have a “cell phone free education” in January by asking students to put their phones away during the day, including lunch.
In New York City, officials with the largest school system in the country said in the same month they will table plans to reintroduce the cell phone ban, which has been implemented until 2015. New York Mayor Eric Adams said he and the school chancellor want to see how the restrictions. worked in Los Angeles and elsewhere before advancing.
While intentionally flexible, California law contains some specifics. It said schools can’t ban students from having cell phones when a doctor or licensed surgeon says the student needs the device for health reasons. It also said that students in certain individualized education programs may be allowed to bypass the ban.
Under the law, students will be allowed access to their phones during emergencies. However, the law does not say that the phone must be the student’s own device. It is up to the school district to decide what constitutes an emergency and how the phone can be used.
The emergency issue has become a point of opposition from students and parents. Last month, after students texted their parents during a shooting at a Georgia high school that killed four people, Newsom answered questions at a news conference about his support for cell phone restrictions.
“All kinds of considerations” will be made as the school spends the next two years planning the policy, he said, adding that cellphones “interfere with the ability to get quality academic time.”
LA Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho said the district is working on when students can use phones in class, what scenarios would be defined as emergencies and how schools can provide “reasonable access” to phones in those situations.
In other exceptions, he said, students learning English may need to rely on a device to study, just as a student with diabetes needs a phone to monitor their glucose levels.
The state law also gives teachers and administrators permission to override school district policies, effectively making their own.
LA Unified still has important rulemaking decisions to make, including the autonomy it gives schools to make their own cell phone policies. Options LA is considering include using cell phone pouches that remain locked until students open them with a magnetic device. Phones can also be collected at the start of class or placed in the cell phone locker. Technology can also be used to make cell phones unusable for calls, texting and internet access even if the device remains with the student.
“We’re excited to see other states follow their lead in supporting student learning and mental health,” said Los Angeles school board member Nick Melvoin, who created the LA resolution.
The district’s spokesperson added that LAUSD hopes the state law will “encourage drastic change in a generation of students who will be able to focus on learning, engage in social interaction and have fun in a learning environment free from the distractions and dangers of cell phones.”
In Los Angeles, teachers and parents generally support the ban. In addition to emergencies, some parents have expressed concerns about coordinating schedules, such as school pickup. Students are less enthusiastic, although some have been won over in schools that have implemented cell phone bans.
After hearing about the new state law, Madison Thacker, a senior at Van Nuys High School, said she hopes the school district avoids cell phone bans and simply enforces them.
“There’s a big difference between cell phone use during class versus during lunch and nutrition or other activities,” said Thacker, who said the Los Angeles ban is “everything students talk about” at his school, where he attends. performing arts magnet program.
“Yes, I understand why we need limits on class time, but cell phones are part of our lives.” she said. “I don’t understand why we need to be taken when we’re not in class. I don’t understand why we need a total ban or treat cell phones as enemies.
Some LA public schools already have cell phone bans in place before taking district-wide action. Leaders at the school say the results have been largely positive — although some teachers say enforcement can be difficult and students are finding ways around 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 support from Republicans and Democrats. In a letter last month addressed to the state’s schools, Newsom urged “every school district to act now to limit smartphone use on campus.”
At least one major group, the California School Boards Assn., opposes Newsom’s stance on the law.
Spokesman Troy Flint said the move takes authority away from school district leaders who can do their own research and decide if limiting or banning phones won’t benefit students.
Despite this position, Flint said the association will support school districts in their efforts to follow the new law and monitor the impact and possible unintended consequences.
Times staff writer Mackenzie Mays contributed to this report.
