Newsom Signs Bill Restricting Smartphones in Schools

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Monday “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.”

The legislation, AB 3216, known as the Phone-Free School Act, expands existing law, which granted local school authorities the power to set their own policies restricting smartphone use during school hours or on school campuses.

The new law takes a more aggressive approach:

The governing body of a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school shall, no later than July 1, 2026, develop and adopt, and shall update every five years, a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school. The goal of the policy shall be to promote evidence-based use of smartphone practices to support pupil learning and well-being. The development of the policy shall involve significant stakeholder participation in order to ensure that the policies are responsive to the unique needs and desires of pupils, parents, and educators in each community. The policy may also include enforcement mechanisms that limit access to smartphones.

While many parents will applaud bans on smartphones, critics will note that Newsom continues to erode the authority and autonomy of local school districts, as he battles for control of curricula and other educational decisions.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.