Governor Newsom signs legislation to limit the use of smartphones during school hours

Building on his calls for school districts to restrict the use of smartphones on school campuses, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free School Act, to require every school district, charter school, and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026. Authored by Assemblymembers Josh Hoover, David Alvarez, Josh Lowenthal, and Al Muratsuchi, the bipartisan legislation will support the mental health, academic success, and social well-being of California’s students. The development of the policies will involve significant stakeholder participation to ensure they are responsive to the unique needs and desires of the local students, parents and educators and must allow students to use their phones in the case of an emergency, or in response to a perceived threat of danger, or as allowed by a teacher, administrator, doctor or the student’s individualized education program.