California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill requiring schools to limit or even completely ban the use of smartphones. The move is aimed at combating the negative effects of excessive use of mobile devices, which experts say can increase the risk of developing mental disorders in teenagers and negatively affect their learning. About this informs Reuters.
To date, 13 US states have already implemented similar measures, limiting or banning the use of cell phones in schools. The state of Florida was the first to take this step in 2023, after which other states began to implement similar restrictions. Now they have been joined by California, which has nearly 5.9 million students in public schools.
California took the initiative from its largest county, Los Angeles, where the school board in June decided to ban smartphones for all 429,000 students. This decision aims to reduce the impact of mobile devices on children’s mental health and academic achievement.
In June, US Chief Medical Officer Vivek Murthy also called for warning labels on social media platforms similar to those used on cigarette packs. He noted that the problem of excessive use of social networks among teenagers is reaching the scale of a crisis in the field of mental health. Murthy cited a study published in the journal JAMA indicating that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media have an increased risk of developing mental illness. According to a Gallup poll, the average teenager spends 4.8 hours a day on social media.
A new California bill, supported by 76 votes in the state Assembly and 38 votes in the Senate, requires school boards to develop and implement policies to limit or ban student use of smartphones on school grounds by July 1, 2026. The policy should be updated every five years to meet new challenges and needs.
“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression and other mental health problems – but we have an opportunity to intervene. This new law will help students focus on learning, social development and the world in front of them, not on their screens when they at school”, Newsom said in a statement.
