SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California and South Carolina could be the next states to limit cellphone use in schools, and officials in both states are weighing plans.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent letters to school districts urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones while at school. South Carolina’s Board of Education was debating guidelines to order local districts to ban cellphone use during school hours, but postponed a final vote until next month to allow more time to draft the proposal.
This is a campaign already undertaken by officials in Utah, Florida, Louisiana and elsewhere to limit the use of cellphones in schools in order to reduce classroom distractions and prevent the harmful effects that cellphones have on the mental health of minors.
But progress can be difficult. Bans on cellphones are already in place in several schools, but they are not always enforced.
Districts must “act now” to help students focus in class by restricting cellphone use, Newsom said in his letter. He also cited risks to young people’s well-being, an issue that gained attention in June when U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to pass laws to require warning labels on social media platforms.
“Every classroom should be a place of focus, learning and growth,” Newsom said in his letter. “Working together, educators, administrators and parents can create an environment where students are fully focused on their education, free from the distractions of cell phones and the pressures of social media.”
This summer, South Carolina lawmakers approved a temporary one-year rule in the state budget requiring schools to ban student cellphone use or lose state funding. Schools have until early 2025 to implement their specific rules and the penalties for violating them.
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Jeffrey Collins contributed from West Columbia, South Carolina. Collins participates in The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, a nonprofit program that assigns journalists to newsrooms to report on under-reported topics.
