While bans on students using cell phones during class already exist in many US schools, California and South Carolina, whose officials announced today, appear to be joining the ban on a broader basis as states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sent letters to school districts today asking that students have limited access to cell phones in classrooms to "help students focus on their classes by limiting cell phone use."
Newsom also referred to the risks to the well-being of young people, a topic that gained attention in June of this year when the top federal health official, Vivek Murthy, called on Congress to mandate the posting of warning messages on social media.
The governor of California said at the beginning of the summer that he plans to solve the problem with students' use of mobile phones, and in his letter today he indicated that he is working on a legislative solution with Congress - the assembly of that state.
In 2019, Newsom signed legislation authorizing school districts to regulate student cell phone use in schools.
The South Carolina State Board of Education is scheduled to approve guidelines today to restrict student cell phone use.
Utah, Florida, Louisiana and other states have previously done so to reduce the distraction of students from classes on their phones and to tackle the effects of social media use on young people's mental health.
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