SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he will limit students’ smartphone use during the school day, citing the risks social media poses to mental health.
The announcement, first reported by Politico, came a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their impact on juvenile people. Newsom said he wanted to build on a law he signed in 2019 that authorized school districts to restrict or prohibit students’ use of smartphones while attending school or under the supervision of a school employee.
“As the Surgeon General confirmed, social media is damaging the mental health of our youth,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “I look forward to working with lawmakers to limit smartphone use during the school day. When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies – not their screens.”
Newsom’s office did not provide further details about the proposal, but the California School Boards Association said any regulations regarding student smartphone use should be left to school districts, not the state.
“We support legislation that allows school leaders to make policy decisions at the local level that reflect the concerns of their community and are aimed at supporting their students,” said spokesman Troy Flint.
Newsom’s announcement comes amid a national debate about how to address the impact of social media and smartphone use, particularly on juvenile people. Some teens have pledged to avoid social media to improve their mental health and be able to focus on school and extracurricular activities.
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed one of the country’s most restrictive bans on children’s social media use earlier this year. The New York State Legislature passed a bill earlier this month that would allow parents to block their children from viewing social media posts suggested to them by the platform’s algorithm.
California has failed in recent years to pass a law that would penalize social media platforms for creating addiction in children. But a bill by Democratic Sen. Nancy Skinner of Berkeley that would prohibit online platforms from offering addictive feeds to minors passed the state Senate in May and is scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly next month.
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s school board voted Tuesday to have the district adopt policies that prohibit students from using cellphones throughout the school day, with some exceptions. Board member Nick Melvoin, a former teacher who regularly visits school campuses, said he was “shocked” at how “students are glued to their cellphones, no different than adults.”
“When I talk to teachers, students, parents and principals, I hear the same thing over and over again: that more and more time is being spent monitoring students’ cell phone use,” he said at the meeting. “There is no consistent enforcement and they are looking for support from the board and the district.”
State Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat who represents part of the greater Los Angeles area, introduced a bill this year that would expand school districts’ powers to restrict students’ social media use in schools. Stern said he would be willing to withdraw his bill, which has already passed the Senate, if lawmakers and Newsom could come up with a better solution. Stern said he texted Newsom after the governor’s announcement to thank him.
“It’s just too hard for any teacher, school or parent to figure this out on their own,” Stern said. “Sometimes the government just has to step in and impose stricter rules.”
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Austin is a corps member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on issues that aren’t as often covered. Follow Austin on social media platform X: @sophieadanna
