Los Angeles will ban smartphone use at school

Education bosses in Los Angeles voted Tuesday to work toward a complete ban on smartphone use in the city’s schools.

The move came as the governor of California, the most populous state in the US, voiced support for restrictions on the devices and concerns grew about their impact on young people’s mental health.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, which operates the nation’s second-largest school district, directed staff to come up with a plan to ban cell phones and social media during the entire school day.

“Schools that… have already implemented a phone-free school day are reporting incredible results: kids are happier, they talk to each other, their academics are better,” said board member Nick Melvoin, who proposed the ban.

“And so I really think this is an idea whose time has come.”

The resolution cited research showing that excessive cell phone use was associated with increased stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, feelings of aggression and suicidal ideation in adolescents.

It says eliminating phone and social media use during the day increases scores on standardized tests and final exams, a gain that is “equivalent to an additional hour of instructional time per week.”

The LAUSD vote, which would affect 600,000 students, comes after the U.S. surgeon general, the nation’s top doctor, called for warning labels on social media platforms, which he said was causing a mental health crisis.

“Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media are at double risk for anxiety and depression symptoms,” wrote Dr. Vivek Murthy in an op-ed in the New York Times.

“The average daily use in this age group was 4.8 hours as of summer 2023,” he noted.

Hours before the LAUSD vote on the resolution, which directs staff to come up with a plan within the next four months, California Governor Gavin Newsom threw his weight behind a statewide effort to curb smartphone use among schoolchildren lay.

“As the Surgeon General confirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our young people,” he said.

“When children and teenagers are at school, they should focus on their studies, not on their screens.”

A bill pending in the California Legislature would require school districts to adopt measures banning or restricting students’ use of phones at school.

“I look forward to working with the Legislature to limit smartphone use during the school day,” said Newsom, a father of four.

Florida, whose Governor Ron DeSantis is an archrival of Newsom, banned cell phone use by students last year.

Similar plans are underway in Oklahoma, Kansas, Vermont, Ohio, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.

© 2024 AFP