CA Schools Must Limit Or Ban Use Of Cell Phones Under New Law

CALIFORNIA — California schools have two years to develop a policy to restrict or prohibit the use of smartphones in classrooms, according to a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Monday.

The Phone-Free School Act requires every school district, county office of education and charter school in the nation's most populous state to develop a policy by July 1, 2026. Institutions will be required to update these 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," Newsom wrote in a statement.

While existing law specifies circumstances in which students may not be banned from carrying a smartphone, the new law will require institutions to impose more restrictions or all out bans on usage during school hours.

Mounting evidence has found that the use of smartphones at elementary and secondary schools during the school day contributed to cyberbullying and hindered academic performance.

Students use their phones during the school day for an average of 43 minutes, according to Common Sense Media. And some 72% of high school and 33% of middle school teachers report cell phone distractions as a major issue, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

AB 3216 was authored by Republican assemblyman Josh Hoover and Democratic assemblymembers David Alvarez, Josh Lowenthal and Al Muratsuchi.

The newly signed law comes on the heels of another bill signed by the governor on Friday that aims to curb social media addiction by requiring social media companies to alter their feeds.

"With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits," Newsom said.

Newsom first authorized school districts to regulate the use of smartphones during school hours in 2019, when he signed AB 272, which was also authored by Muratsuchi. In June, the governor announced further restrictions on phone use could be coming.

"All school districts should develop their own appropriate policy to balance appropriate student use of smartphones at school with curbing the impact of excessive smartphone use on a student’s educational, social, and emotional well-being," Muratsuchi said.

One school in California — Marina Del Rey Middle School — has already enacted a ban on cellphones, requiring all students to power their phones off daily and place them in a neoprene pouch secured by a magnetic lock, according to KCRW. The pouches stay locked during the school day.

Come January of 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District will also ban cellphones.

The Golden State hosts nearly 1,000 school districts.

Calls to limit cell phone use have received varied responses across the country, with many parents expressing the need for students to have easy access to their phones in a time where school shootings are on the rise.

At least 15 states have passed laws or enacted policies that restrict student use of cellphones in schools or recommend districts enforce their own bans, according to an analysis by Education Week.