This article is part of a partnership between The Mendocino Voice and nonprofit newsroom EdSource to bring relevant education-related news to Mendocino County readers. Learn more about EdSource here.
LOS ANGELES, 12/2/24 – While schools across the state will have to ban or restrict cellphone use by July 2026, educators have expressed concern over implementation, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“You got a crisis in this country that predated Covid … issues of social isolation, this sort of unmooring in society and people feeling more lonely than ever the more connected they are on their devices,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at an event, among superintendents, teachers, experts, policy aides and parents.
He also said schools are the best place to begin a larger cultural shift. And according to a Pew Research survey, roughly 95% of teenagers have access to a cell phone.
Educators said, however, that the biggest challenge remains enforcement — and there are no guidelines on potential discipline for students who violate districts’ policies.
Several also said they do not want to confiscate devices because they don’t want to shoulder any responsibility if the phone is lost or damaged.
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board member Nick Melvoin, who sponsored the district’s ban, anticipates that 95% of students will comply.
Initially, Santa Barbara schools struggled with compliance — but has since seen more positive effects of being phone-free.
“Cold turkey is going to be quite difficult for a lot of these kids,” UCLA psychology professor John Piacentini, who directs the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilience, Education and Support, told the Times. “But it needs to be done.”
This article first appeared at EdSource here.