California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. The announcement, which was first reported by Politico, comes a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their effects on young people. Newsom said he plans to build on a law he signed in 2019 that authorized school districts to limit or ban the use of smartphones by students while at school or under the supervision of a school employee.
Quick Read
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to restrict students’ smartphone usage during the school day, citing mental health risks from social media.
- Newsom’s proposal builds on a 2019 law allowing school districts to limit or ban smartphone use by students.
- The announcement follows U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s call for Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms.
- Newsom emphasized the need for students to focus on their studies rather than screens while at school.
- The California School Boards Association argues that decisions about smartphone use should be made locally by school districts.
- Newsom’s proposal adds to the national debate on managing social media and smartphone impacts on youth.
- Similar initiatives include Florida’s restrictive social media ban for children and a New York bill allowing parents to block algorithmic suggestions.
- In California, a state Senate bill aiming to ban addictive feeds for minors is progressing through the legislative process.
- The Los Angeles Unified School District is developing policies to ban student cell phone use during school hours, with some exceptions.
- State Senator Henry Stern supports expanding school districts’ authority to limit social media use and is collaborating with Newsom for a broader solution.
The Associated Press has the story:
California Governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools
Newslooks- SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) —
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media.
The announcement, which was first reported by Politico, comes a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their effects on young people. Newsom said he plans to build on a law he signed in 2019 that authorized school districts to limit or ban the use of smartphones by students while at school or under the supervision of a school employee.
“As the Surgeon General affirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our youth,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Legislature to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day. When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies — not their screens.”
Newsom’s office did not provide further details on the proposal. But the California School Boards Association said any regulations over student smartphone use should be left up to school districts, not the state.
“We support legislation which empowers school leaders to make policy decisions at a local level that reflect their community’s concerns and what’s necessary to support their students,” spokesperson Troy Flint said.
Newsom’s announcement comes amid growing debate across the country over how to address the impacts of social media and smartphone usage, particularly on young people. Some teens have pledged to stay off social media to improve their mental health and to help them focus on schoolwork and extracurricular activities.
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year signed one of the most restrictive bans in the nation on children’s use of social media. The New York state Legislature passed a bill earlier this month that would allow parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested to them by the platform’s algorithm.
In California, a proposal to fine social media platforms for addicting children has failed to become law in recent years. But a bill by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Democrat representing Berkeley, that would ban online platforms from providing addictive feeds to minors passed the state Senate in May and is set for a committee hearing in the Assembly next month.
The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted Tuesday for the district to develop policies banning students’ use of cell phones throughout the school day, with some exceptions. Board Member Nick Melvoin, who was a teacher and visits school campuses regularly, said he’s been “struck” by how “students are glued to their cell phones, not unlike adults.”
“When I talk to teachers and students and parents and principals, I also hear the same, which is that more and more time is being spent on policing student phone use,” he said at the meeting. “There’s not coherent enforcement, and they’re looking for some support from the board and from the district.”
State Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat representing part of the Los Angeles area, introduced a bill this year to expand school districts’ authority to limit students’ social media usage at schools. Stern said he’d be willing to pull his bill, which already passed the Senate, if lawmakers and Newsom can come up with a better solution. Stern said he texted Newsom to thank him after the governor’s announcement.
“It’s just too hard for every teacher, every school, or every parent to have to figure this out on their own,” Stern said. “There’s some times where government just has to step in and make some bigger rules of the road.”
