On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3216, known as the Phone-Free School Act, which would require every school district, charter school and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of phones by July 1, 2026.
“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,” Newsom said in a news release.
School districts are now reviewing their cell-phone use policy to make sure it complies with the bill before it is implemented.
“We have been paying close attention to the impact of cell phones on student wellness and learning for many years, so, more than five years ago, actually, the school board adopted a policy that significantly restricts how much students can use cell phones on our campuses and, in fact, our policy that is already in place says that students cannot use phones during the school day,” San Diego Unified School Board President Shana Hazan said.
Hazan said there is an exception for high school students, who can use their phones during lunch time.
Seventy-two percent of high school and 33% of middle school teachers reported cell-phone distractions as a major problem, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center. Some school board leaders said that tracks with the feedback they’ve received from their school district.
“We found that over 80% of teachers and over 62% of parents support a ban,” said Andrew Hayes, the president of the Lakeside Union School District Board of Trustees.
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 regulations take effect July 1, 2026.
