California Orders School Districts to Ban or Limit Student Cell Phone Use by 2026

California became the latest state to pass a law banning or prohibiting student use of phones in school this week. Under the Phone-Free School Act, school districts will be required to establish a policy restricting the devices by July 2026.

The Phone-Free School Act. The new law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, affects the state’s more than 1,000 school districts, charter schools, and county education offices. Deciding to ban phones entirely or limit them will be up to the school.

Notably, the law has some exceptions.

Officials will not be able to stop students from using phones in the event an emergency, a particularly acute concern for parents who want to make sure they have a way to contact their children during school shootings and other incidents. In addition, the law says that teachers and administrators can give students permission to use their phones.

Schools also won’t be able to limit students from having phones in school if a doctor determines that they need it to ensure their health or well-being. Furthermore, students can use a phone in school if their education program requires it.

Supporting students. The Phone-Free School Act expands on a 2019 law that allowed, but didn’t require, schools to have policies limiting student phone use. In a news release, Newsom stated that the bipartisan legislation will support the mental health, academic success, and social wellbeing of California’s students.

“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues—but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said in a statement. “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.”

According to a Pew Research survey published in June and cited in the law, 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a problem in the classroom. Meanwhile, 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers consider it a distraction, respectively. 82% of K-12 teachers in the U.S. say their district has a policy on phone use, though of that group, 30% say that the policies are “very or somewhat difficult to enforce.”

Not all educators are on board. The law follows recent action against phones in school by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country. In June, the district approved a measure to ban student cell phone use during the school day. It’s set to go into effect in 2025.

But not all educators are in favor of California’s Phone-Free School Act. Opposition from the California School Boards Association, representing nearly 1,000 education agencies statewide, stands out.

“We support those districts that have already acted independently to implement restrictions because, after a review of the needs of their stakeholders, they determined that made the most sense for their communities with regards to safety, school culture and academic achievement,” Troy Flint, a spokesperson for the California School Boards Association, told Fortune. “We simply oppose the mandate.”

A growing trend. With the new law, California joins a growing list of states that have decided to use the force of law to keep phones away from students in school. Indiana passed a law to limit student phone use in April, and Ohio followed suit in May. In New York, home to the largest school district in the country, Gov. Kathy Hochul is in favor of enacting a phone ban in schools statewide.

At least eight states have passed laws this year to ban or limit student use of phones in school.

Image | National Cancer Institute, Redd F

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