Bill Limiting Smartphone Use in California Schools Heads to Governors Desk

The Phone Free Schools Act, a bill to limit smartphone use in schools, passed the State Assembly this week and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom to sign.

Votes:

• 8/28 on Assembly Floor: 76-0
• 8/27 on Senate Floor: 38-1

AB 3216  would instead require the governing body of a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school to, by July 1, 2026, develop and adopt, and to update every 5 years, a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program.

The bill’s authors include: Assemblymembers Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), and Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach).

“This is an incredible first step toward protecting and improving the mental health and academic outcomes of students across California,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover in April. “Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children. The growing use of these devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Our state must take action to limit the use of smartphones during the school day and protect kids from these potential harms.”

A 2016 study found that when smartphones were removed from classrooms standardized test scores increased by an average of six percent, with even greater improvements among low achieving students. AB 3216 would continue to build on this success by expanding limitations on smartphones statewide.

A recent piece published in The Atlantic by NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt described a number of the potential harms that smartphone use is contributing to in children:

• Grades suffer when learning is disrupted as a result of smartphone distractions in the classroom
• Up to 15% of teenagers engage in “problematic social media use,” which includes symptoms such as preoccupation, withdrawal symptoms, neglect of other areas of life, and lying to parents and friends about time spent on social media
• The latest Gallup data found that American teenagers spend around 5 hours per day on social media platforms alone
• As smartphones have become ubiquitous since 2010 we have seen a 70% increase in the number of high school seniors expressing that “life often feels meaningless (now more than 1 in 5 seniors express this)
• Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are on the rise among young people
• Poor mental health outcomes and smartphone use are most strongly correlated in kids under the age of 14

Previous Stories:

• Aug 13 – Governor Newsom Urges Schools to Immediately Restrict Cell Phones in the Classroom
• June 27 – Bill Limiting Smartphone Use in California Schools Moves Forward
• April 4 – Bill to Limit Smartphone Use in Schools Passes Committee