Governor Newsom signs legislation to limit the use of smartphones during school hours

 

SACRAMENTO — Building on his calls for school districts to restrict the use of smartphones on school campuses, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free School Act, to require every school district, charter school and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026. Authored by Assemblymembers Josh Hoover, David Alvarez, Josh Lowenthal, and Al Muratsuchi, the bipartisan legislation will support the mental health, academic success, and social wellbeing of California’s students.

How we got here
In 2019, Governor Newsom signed AB 272 (Muratsuchi) into law, which specified that school districts have the authority to regulate the use of smartphones during school hours. This legislation was a crucial first step in efforts to minimize distractions and foster a more conducive environment for our students to learn. In June, the Governor announced efforts to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day.
 
Maintaining student safety
The development of the policies will involve significant stakeholder participation to ensure they are responsive to the unique needs and desires of the local students, parents and educators and must allow students to use their phones in the case of an emergency, or in response to a perceived threat of danger, or as allowed by a teacher, administrator, doctor or the student’s individualized education program.

Supporting smartphone free classrooms

Assemblyman Josh Hoover: "I appreciate the leadership of Governor Newsom and our bipartisan coalition of legislators that worked together to make the Phone-Free Schools Act a reality. AB 3216 is a major victory for protecting and improving the mental health and academic outcomes of students across California,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover. “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. I am proud our state is taking action to limit the use of smartphones during the school day and protect kids from these harms.”

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee: “I thank the Governor for signing AB 3216. California school districts should place limits on student smartphone use on campus during school hours, unless approved by teachers or administrators for academic, emergency, or other purposes.  In 2019, I authored Assembly Bill 272, to encourage school districts to consider such limits.  Since then, growing research shows excessive smartphone use not only interfering with learning but also contributing to teenage anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying.  All school districts should develop their own appropriate policy to balance appropriate student use of smartphones at school with curbing the impact of excessive smartphone use on a student’s educational, social, and emotional well-being.”