California’s governor is trying to crack down on smartphones in schools

California Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to “get smartphones retired of schools.”

“I look guardant to moving with the Legislature to restrict the usage of smartphones during the schoolhouse day. When children and teens are successful school, they should beryllium focused connected their studies — not their screens,” helium said successful a statement connected Tuesday.

Newsom plans to enactment with the California legislature to walk those restrictions by August, Politico archetypal reported. That would enactment California successful enactment with different states that already person strict limits connected smartphone usage successful schools. The determination could besides beryllium peculiarly meaningful successful California, the nation’s astir populous authorities and location to Silicon Valley.

Momentum is increasing crossed the federation to support kids from imaginable harms associated with smartphones and societal media — from cyber bullying to body image issues. Schools person been battlegrounds for the issue, with concerns rising implicit distracted students utilizing their phones during class.

In 2019, Newsom signed legislation that authorizes schoolhouse districts to bounds oregon wholly prohibit students from utilizing smartphones portion successful school. Newsom aims to spell further with caller authorities that would found statewide limits.

Newsom besides signed a instrumentality in 2022 that pushes societal media companies to summation protections for underage users, including limiting however overmuch information from young radical they cod and sell. Last year, helium wrote a letter to urging the tech manufacture to driblet a suit challenging that legislation. “It is clip for the tech manufacture to halt lasting successful the mode of important protections for our kids and teens, and to commencement moving with america to support our kids safe,” helium wrote.

The governor’s caller telephone to enactment connected Tuesday follows the US Surgeon General’s plea to Congress connected Monday to institute informing labels connected societal media platforms. “It is clip to necessitate a surgeon general’s informing statement connected societal media platforms, stating that societal media is associated with important intelligence wellness harms for adolescents,” Vivek H. Murthy wrote successful a impermanent effort in The New York Times.

While Congress is successful gridlock, states and schoolhouse districts person taken their ain action. Florida and Indiana already person laws restricting smartphone use. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Unified School District committee voted to trade policies to prohibit students from utilizing compartment phones and societal media passim the full schoolhouse day.