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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to restrict cellphone use among students in schools across the state.
On Tuesday, The Associated Press (AP) reported that Newsom is set to send out letters to school districts across the state urging school officials to limit the use of cellphone use in schools. The South Carolina Board of Education is also expected to approve similar policies this week.
The efforts by Newsom are similar to a wider initiative in states like Utah, Florida, and Louisiana to curb cellphone use in schools. The goal is to minimize classroom distractions and tackle the growing concerns about the impact of social media on the mental health of children and teens.
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In his letter, Newsom will tell school districts to "act now" and limit students from using their cellphones in class.
"Every classroom should be a place of focus, learning, and growth," Newsom said in his letter. "Working together, educators, administrators, and parents can create an environment where students are fully engaged in their education, free from the distractions on the phones and pressures of social media."
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The letter will also cite a recent warning from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who recently told Congress to act on social media platforms and the well-being of children by adding warning labels on the different platforms.
In June, Newsom issued a statement saying "As the Surgeon General affirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our youth."
"Building on legislation I signed in 2019, 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," the California governor added in his June statement.
As he noted in his June statement, Newsom signed legislation in 2019 allowing local school districts to regulate cellphone use among students while in school.
While speaking with the AP, Antero Garcia, a professor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, explained that some local officials seek to immediately ban the use of cellphones in schools, rather than trying to find a solution to include the devices into learning.
"What I'm struck by is society's inability to kind of move forward and find other kinds of solutions other than perpetually going back to this 'Should we ban devices?' conversation as the primary solution to something that hasn't worked," Garcia told the AP.
Newsweek reached out to the California Department of Education via email for comment.
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