“I look forward to working with the Legislature to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day,” Newsom said in a statement Tuesday. “When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies — not their screens.”
Newsom’s announcement came as board members with the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to develop rules to ban smartphone use class hours. The district is the largest in the nation to pass such a measure.
The governor voiced his support for restrictions as elected leaders from both parties and researchers are increasingly scrutinizing how social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook impact the mental health of the nation’s youth and affect student performance.
More than a dozen states have passed laws seeking to curb children’s use of social media, efforts that have been challenged by the tech industry and remain the subject of ongoing legal battles. In 2022, Newsom signed a bill that established strict safeguards on data collection of underage online users; the law was temporarily blocked by a court.
Debates over excessive smartphones in schools are escalating in tow. Educators have long complained about students sending text messages, scrolling social media feeds and even shopping during class. Researchers have blamed devices as contributing to declining academic performance and bullying. Some school districts are suing social media companies over the mental health impacts on young people.
About a third of U.S. teens say they use social media “almost constantly.” A Common Sense Media report last fall found that kids and teens receive hundreds, even thousands, of phone notifications daily — with use during school typically adding up to about 43 minutes per day. Many districts already restrict usage, but enforcement is patchy. Some schools now use magnetically sealed pouches to keep students from their devices during class.
Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a Newsom political rival, signed the nation’s most restrictive school smartphone law, banning student use during class time and blocking social media access on campus wireless systems. Indiana passed a bill this spring requiring districts to adopt policies banning wireless devices during class. States such as Vermont, Virginia and Oklahoma are also considering similar measures.
Earlier this year, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) also called on districts and educational leaders to remove cellphones during class time to “help our teachers teach and out student learn,” citing studies that students become more engaged and talk to each other more when phones are kept in backpacks or lockers.
