School districts in California will have to create rules restricting student smartphone use under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed.
The legislation makes California the latest state to try to curb student phone access in an effort to minimize distractions in the classroom and address the mental health impacts of social media on children. Florida, Louisiana, Indiana and several other states have passed laws aimed at restricting student phone use at school.
"We support those districts that have already acted independently to implement restrictions because, after a review of the needs of their stakeholders, they determined that made the most sense for their communities with regards to safety, school culture and academic achievement," said Troy Flint, a spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. "We simply oppose the mandate.
The governor then sent letters to districts last month, urging them to limit student device use on campus. That came on a day that the board for the second-largest school district in the country, Los Angeles Unified, voted to ban student phone use during the school day beginning in January. "Anytime you're talking about interrupting that addiction, it's certainly going to be hard for students sometimes," Hoover said. "But I think overall they understand why it's important, why it helps them focus better on their classes and why it actually helps them have better social interaction with their peers face to face when they're at school."
Teachers have reported seeing students more engaged since the Santa Barbara Unified School District began fully implementing a ban on student phone use in class during the 2023-24 school year, Assistant Superintendent ShaKenya Edison said.
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