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Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act, Assembly Bill 3216, which would restrict the use of smartphones on school campuses in the state, and would require every school district, charter school, and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of phones.

This would need to happen by July 1, 2026.

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

Governor Newsom also signed a law in 2019 (AB 272) granting districts the authority to regulate student smartphone access during school hours. This legislation was a crucial first step in efforts to minimize distractions and foster a more conducive environment for our students to learn. In June, the Governor announced efforts to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day.

Many California districts started the new year with cellphone restrictions. Cellphone restrictions look different across the state, depending on school district, school or even individual teachers’ policies. In some schools, students entering a campus or classroom are required to put their phones in an electronic pouch that can only be unlocked by school staff with a special magnet. In other schools, cellphones are turned off and put in lockers in the classroom. More commonly, students are asked to turn off their phones and to put them in their backpacks or pockets during class.

Borrego Springs Unified School District enacted the Yondr Program this school year.

Excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 72% of high school and 33% of middle school teachers report cell phone distractions as a major problem. Common Sense Media found that 97% of students use their phones during the school day for a median of 43 minutes. Combined with the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about the risks of social media, it is urgent to provide reasonable guardrails for smartphone use in schools.

“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.”

But the policies have had pushback from some parents who fear losing touch with their children during emergencies.

“Some parents and families feel that the cellphone is essential for notification in the case of a natural disaster, a school emergency, or a school shooting,” said the California School Boards Association spokesperson Troy Flint. “Or some people use it for less extreme, but still important reasons, like monitoring their kids’ required medicine. Some families with students with disabilities like to have an additional level of contact with their students at schools.”

According to the bill, students will be allowed to use their phones in case of an emergency, or a “perceived threat of danger.”

The new law makes California the fifth state in the country with a cellphone use ban.