Phone-Free Schools Act Clears Legislature, Heads to Governor Newsom’s Desk for Signature

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.

SACRAMENTO – Today the Legislature passed landmark legislation authored by Assemblymembers Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), and David Alvarez (D-San Diego) to limit the use of smartphones in schools. Assembly Bill 3216, also known as the Phone-Free Schools Act, requires school districts in California to adopt a policy no later than July 1, 2026 that limits or prohibits the use of smartphones by students during the school day.

“Today the Legislature took meaningful action to support students and transform schools across California,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover. “As a parent and former school board member, I am incredibly grateful for this bipartisan effort to put kids first and improve their academic and mental health outcomes. I thank the Governor for his leadership on this issue and urge him to sign this bill to create phone-free schools across our state.”

Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children. The growing use of these devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. I am grateful for the Legislature’s leadership on limiting the use of smartphones during the school day and I look forward to working with the Governor.”

The bill now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature, who has signaled support for the legislation in recent weeks.

Many school districts have already limited or prohibited smartphone use in schools and have seen resounding success. Administrators have reported increased social interaction among peers, decreased instances of bullying on campus, and improvements in academic outcomes. A 2016 study found that when smartphones were removed from classrooms standardized test scores increased by an average of six percent, with even greater improvements among low achieving students. The Phone-Free Schools Act will continue to build on this success by expanding limitations on smartphones statewide.

A piece published in The Atlantic earlier this year by NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt described a number of the potential harms that smartphone use is contributing to in children:

• Grades suffer when learning is disrupted as a result of smartphone distractions in the classroom
• Up to 15% of teenagers engage in “problematic social media use,” which includes symptoms such as preoccupation, withdrawal symptoms, neglect of other areas of life, and lying to parents and friends about time spent on social media
• The latest Gallup data found that American teenagers spend around 5 hours per day on social media platforms alone
• As smartphones have become ubiquitous since 2010 we have seen a 70% increase in the number of high school seniors expressing that “life often feels meaningless (now more than 1 in 5 seniors express this)
• Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are on the rise among young peoplePoor mental health outcomes and smartphone use are most strongly correlated in kids under the age of 14

Josh Hoover represents Assembly District 7, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova and the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale, and Rosemont.