RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) – A North Carolina bill aimed at protecting students’ internet safety in schools went into effect as the 2025-2026 school year started across the Tar Heel State.
House Bill 959, known as the Protecting Students in a Digital Age bill, was signed by Governor Josh Stein on July 1. It prohibits students from having cellphones turned on during instructional time in school.
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Exceptions to the rule include:
- A teacher using a cellphone for educational purposes or in case of an emergency.
- If the phone use is in a student’s IEP or Section 504 plan.
- If it’s to manage a student’s health.
Several school districts in the Charlotte Metro area had similar restrictions in place already.
The bill also requires local boards of education to enact internet safety policies, something already required at the state level.
Some of those policies include:
- Limiting student access to age-appropriate materials.
- Protecting student security when using electronic communication.
- Preventing third-party access to programs that do not protect against accessing and sending out student information.
- Preventing access to social media, and specifically banning TikTok.
Board of education employees will also be prohibited from using TikTok for anything related to their job or school-related extracurricular activities.
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Another part of the bill requires all students to learn about the effects of social media on health and other information, like maintaining personal security and identifying human trafficking through the internet.
Similar bills have already passed in several states across the country. Cellphone restrictions in South Carolina schools took effect in 2024.
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