Los Angeles Unified School District Considers Banning Students from Using Smartphones

Los Angeles Unified School District is considering banning its 429,000 students from using smartphones in an effort to keep this generation of children away from various distractions like social media and protect their learning and mental health.

According to Reuters, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for social media platforms to be labeled similar to warning labels on cigarette packaging. He believes that social media poses a mental health emergency, and there have been suggestions to ban students from using smartphones.

Although research on the mental health risks posed by smartphones is not yet comprehensive, Dr. Murthy stated that it is an urgent situation that requires action.

He cited a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which showed that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media may be at increased risk of mental health issues. He also mentioned a Gallup poll indicating that teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media per day.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the US, is set to vote on a proposal that would require the development of a policy banning students from using smartphones and social media platforms within 120 days and implementing it by January 2025.

According to the meeting agenda, schools in Los Angeles will consider whether smartphones should be stored in small pockets or lockers during class time, and if there should be exceptions for students with learning disabilities or physical impairments.

The resolution was proposed by board member and former middle school teacher Nick Melvoin. He recalled that when he left the classroom in 2011, phones were already a problem, and since then, the constant texting and liking has only worsened.

Melvoin stated, “The time is now. When I talk to teachers, administrators, and parents, [they say] this is one of their top concerns.”

The Los Angeles district cited evidence showing smartphone addiction is linked to rising levels of anxiety and cyberbullying.

If approved, Los Angeles will join many school districts in California in prohibiting students from using phones or social media on campus.

California Governor Gavin Newsom pledged on Tuesday to strictly limit students’ use of smartphones during school hours. As the Biden administration warns of the harms of social media on children, the largest state in the US is taking this dramatic step.

Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom have long cautioned about the dangers of social media for children. They referenced studies indicating that tech companies have been obstructing efforts to protect children. Newsom wrote a letter last year urging the tech industry to withdraw its lawsuit against a child internet safety law he signed in 2022.

Three years ago, he signed legislation encouraging schools to develop policies restricting or fully prohibiting student smartphone use on campus during school hours.

Newsom told POLITICO, “As surgeons general have confirmed, social media is damaging the mental health of our young people… I look forward to working with the legislature to limit the use of smartphones during school hours – our children and teens should be focused on learning while at school, not screens.”

At a meeting in Los Angeles last month, Siebel Newsom criticized big tech companies for failing to address young people’s addiction to social media and mental health issues. She noted that the industry has been obstructing a landmark child internet privacy and safety law in the state that has been held up in court.

Siebel Newsom choked back tears as she recounted how she and the governor had to pull one of their children out of school due to cyberbullying.

California Senator Henry Stern introduced a measure empowering school districts to restrict student use of social media during school hours; while Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover aims to require districts to limit or ban smartphones on campus by 2026.

Some California lawmakers support Murthy’s warning label proposal but feel more work needs to be done. Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, chair of the Privacy Committee, told POLITICO if Congress remains at a standstill, she would support California adopting its own warning label policy. She said, “I believe the work of the federal government should go beyond this warning, and in California, we are doing everything we can to protect our young people.”

According to Epoch Times, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on May 30 that she plans to introduce legislation banning students from using smartphones in schools, the latest move by New York officials to enhance child internet safety.

In a statement, she said, “My discussions with advocates and families across the state have only deepened my commitment to advancing this legislation to combat addictive social media content and safeguard our online children.”

Speaking to The Guardian on the same day, she stated, “I see these addictive algorithms drawing in young people, really capturing them, imprisoning them in a space that is devoid of human connection, social interaction, and normal classroom activities.”

Florida, with around 2.8 million public school students, saw Governor Ron DeSantis pass a pioneering ban last year, prohibiting students from using phones during school hours.

Indiana and Tennessee also have laws empowering school districts to restrict student smartphone use.

(Translated and rephrased, referencing a report by Reuters)