California
Governor
Gavin
Newsom
signed
the
Phone-Free
School
Act
into
law
this
week,
requiring
every
school
district,
charter
school,
and
county
office
of
education
statewide
to
implement
rules
limiting
cellphone
use
by
July
1st,
2026.
There
are
exceptions
to
the
rule,
including
using
phones
for
emergencies
or
with
permission
under
certain
circumstances.
“We
know
that
excessive
smartphone
use
increases
anxiety,
depression,
and
other
mental
health
issues
—
but
we
have
the
power
to
intervene,”
said
Newsom
in
a
statement.
This
comes
as
other
states
like
New
York
consider
pursuing
legislation
for
a
total
ban
on
phones
in
schools.
It’s
part
of
a
wave
of
laws
targeting
tech-related
child
safety
at
the
state
and
national
level,
including
the
Kids
Online
Safety
Act,
as
well
as
age-gating
laws
in
places
like
Texas.
As
written,
Assembly
Bill
3216
says
schools
shall
“develop
and
adopt,
and
shall
update
every
five
years,
a
policy
to
limit
or
prohibit
the
use
by
its
pupils
of
smartphones”
as
long
as
they’re
at
a
school
site
or
under
the
supervision
of
school
employees.
It
describes
the
goal
as
promoting
“evidence-based
use
of
smartphone
practices
to
support
pupil
learning
and
well-being”
and
says
it
should
be
“responsive
to
the
unique
needs
and
desires
of
pupils,
parents,
and
educators
in
each
community.”
It
also
says
schools
can
implement
“enforcement
mechanisms”
that
limit
access
to
phones.
The
California
School
Boards
Association
opposed
the
new
law,
arguing
it’s
redundant
and
forced
decision-makers
to
adopt
policies
restricting
cellphones
even
if
it
was
found
that
there
was
no
need,
as
The
New
York
Times
reported.
According
to
EducationWeek’s
tracker,
at
least
15
states
have
added
laws
or
policies
around
restricting
students’
use
of
cellphones
in
schools.
Original author: Umar Shakir
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