California school district to ban smartphones during school hours

The second largest school district in the country, Los Angeles Unified School District, passed a measure on Tuesday to create a phone-free school experience by banning smartphone usage during the school day. The measure passed in a 5-2 vote to support student academic success and well-being. Studies show that smartphones distract kids from learning, erode their mental health, and stifle in-person social connection, the school board said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also called for restricting smartphones from the classroom the same day the school board voted. Kids should be focused on learning at school, not their screens, he wrote on social media. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy also penned a New York Times opinion piece on Monday suggesting phone-free classrooms could curb social media addiction.

How will the ban be enforced? The resolution does not give a specific outline on how the ban will work and only tasked the district with implementing the ban by January 2025. Over 70 percent of U.S. high school teachers describe cellphone distraction as a major classroom problem, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. However, some parents have reservations about a full ban and say both parties being able to communicate is essential in case of an emergency, according to local news reports.

Board member Nick Melvoin, the resolution’s author, admitted that enforcing a smartphone ban would bring challenges that could be overcome. Schools could give students magnetically sealed pouches for phones that lock and unlock with another specialized magnet placed near school entrances, he suggested in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece last week. Alternatively, students could stow devices in a cell phone locker each morning, allowing them to retrieve them during emergencies or when the day ends, he added. LAUSD is not the first district to ban student cell phone use, but they are the largest to do so. Before the vote, Melvoin cited several other schools that had successfully banned phones, and the board heard testimony from teachers, parents, and administrators in support of the resolution.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on Murthy calling for Congress to put a surgeon general warning label on social media platforms.