California’s new law requires schools to limit phone use

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act into regulation this week, requiring each college district, constitution college, and county workplace of schooling statewide to implement guidelines limiting cellphone use by July 1st, 2026. There are exceptions to the rule, together with utilizing telephones for emergencies or with permission beneath sure circumstances.

“We all know that extreme smartphone use will increase anxiousness, despair, and different psychological well being points — however we have now the ability to intervene,” stated Newsom in a press release.

This comes as different states like New York take into account pursuing laws for a total ban on phones in faculties. It’s a part of a wave of legal guidelines focusing on tech-related little one security on the state and nationwide degree, together with the Children On-line Security Act, in addition to age-gating laws in locations like Texas.

As written, Assembly Bill 3216 says faculties shall “develop and undertake, and shall replace each 5 years, a coverage to restrict or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones” so long as they’re at a college website or beneath the supervision of college staff. It describes the aim as selling “evidence-based use of smartphone practices to help pupil studying and well-being” and says it must be “attentive to the distinctive wants and wishes of pupils, dad and mom, and educators in every group.”

It additionally says faculties can implement “enforcement mechanisms” that restrict entry to telephones.

The California Faculty Boards Affiliation opposed the brand new regulation, arguing it’s redundant and compelled decision-makers to undertake insurance policies limiting cellphones even when it was discovered that there was no want, as The New York Times reported.

Based on EducationWeek’s tracker, at the least 15 states have added legal guidelines or insurance policies round limiting college students’ use of cellphones in faculties.