California school districts will be forced to limit or prohibit cell phone use in public schools after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill, along with many others, into law.
The bill, AB 3216, was approved by a bipartisan vote after being authored by Republican Assemblyman Josh Hoover.
The bill states that schools must “adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a school site 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.”
School districts must develop and adopt their new rules by July 1, 2026, and update their policy every five years.
‘These devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide.’
There are limitations to the bill that allow exceptions, or “special circumstances,” under which a student may not be prohibited from having a smartphone.
“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues — but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said, per the Sacramento Bee. “This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school,” the governor added.
Bill author Hoover thanked Newsom for the “major victory” for the mental well-being of children, along with the hope of improving academics.
“Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children,” the Republican claimed. “The growing use of these devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide.”
Democrat state Sen. Angelique Ashby opposed the bill over concerns that children would not have access to their phones during an emergency, such as a school shooting. However, the law does indeed grant exceptions for emergencies.
Phones can also be allowed as part of a student’s specific learning plan, likely for special needs.
A trend in phone bans has increased in several states and private schools across the country. States with outright bans on smartphones in public schools include: Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.
Newsom’s flurry of bill signings has also come with scrutiny, particularly surrounding the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024.
The new law has been accused of being too harsh on content creators who make memes or obvious parodies using artificial intelligence.
California is even facing a lawsuit from content creator Mr. Reagan, whose real name is Christopher Kohls. Kohls posted an AI-manipulated parody video about the Kamala Harris campaign in July. His lawsuit argues that California is “flagrantly” using state power to “force private social media companies to censor private citizens’ speech by purging election-related AI-generated content.”
The new law will require online platforms to develop reporting procedures for users to flag content that has been missed by the website, so that it can be taken down if not in accordance with the law.
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