California Mandates Limits on Cellphone Use by Students by 2026

Aiming to address the mental health and ability of students to focus, California has a newly signed law, AB 272, that requires the state to restrict or ban cellphone use during school hours. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, the new measure gives schools and charter schools until July 1, 2026, to implement the regulations.

“Excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues-but we have the power to intervene,” said Newsom in the news release. “The new law is aimed to help students concentrate on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school.”

Under AB 272, students will continue being allowed to use cell phones in case of an emergency or when they feel threatened to their persons. The teachers, administrators, and professionals will therefore be allowed to retain their discretion when using cell phone for the development and implementation of an individualized education plan.

This bill is an expansion of a 2019 law that allowed school districts to restrict cellphone use but did not require it. In June, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted to impose its own restrictions for 429,000 students, cutting cellphone and social media out entirely from their classrooms, effective January.

According to a Pew Research Center survey in June, 72 percent of teachers teaching at the high school level and 33 percent at the middle school level think that smartphones take students away quite a lot. A paper issued by Common Sense Research reveals that close to 97% of the students use their cell phones during school hours with an average of 43 minutes.

A press release from California cited a warning by the U.S. Surgeon General who emphasized that the use of social media poses a danger to the young minds and called for reasonable guardrails on cellphone use in school. Public opinion remains divided, however, on whether the state should ban cellphones and other electronic devices statewide. A March National Parents Union survey of over 1,500 parents revealed that 57% supported local regulation over a statewide ban. Many also believe that students should be permitted to use their cellphones during breaks and after-school activity.

California is the latest in at least 11 states that have passed or are studying limits on cellphones in schools. Recent developments include Indiana banning cell phones in schools, Ohio requiring school districts to regulate the use of cell phones, and New York State proposing a statewide ban in public schools. Florida was actually the very first state to implement a blanket ban on students using their phones in class, as well as taking measures to regulate access to social media over school Wi-Fi.