School districts across California will now be required to implement policies limiting student smartphone use, following a new law signed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday.

This legislation places California among other states, such as Florida, Louisiana, and Indiana, that have passed laws aiming to reduce student phone access, intending to limit distractions in class and address the mental health effects of social media on children.

“This new law will help students concentrate on their academics, social interactions, and the world around them, rather than their screens while at school,” Newsom said in a statement.

However, some critics argue that it shouldn’t be the teachers’ responsibility to enforce these restrictions. Others are concerned that such policies may hinder students from accessing help in emergencies or believe that decisions on phone bans should be left to individual districts or schools.

“We support those districts that have independently implemented restrictions after assessing their community’s needs for safety, school culture, and academic performance,” said Troy Flint, a spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. “We simply oppose this as a mandate.”

Under the new law, districts must establish rules by July 1, 2026, either limiting or banning smartphone use by students on school grounds or while under school staff supervision. These policies must be reviewed and updated every five years.

This move follows Newsom’s 2019 legislation allowing school districts to restrict student phone use. In June, Newsom revisited the issue, following the U.S. Surgeon General’s call for Congress to require warning labels on social media, urging districts to limit phone usage. This happened as the Los Angeles Unified School District board, the second-largest in the country, voted to ban phones during school hours starting in January.

The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Josh Hoover, a Republican from Folsom, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who are also parents. Hoover, whose children — aged 15, 12, and 10 — attend schools with phone restrictions, noted that while students don’t always like the rule, it reflects how addictive phones can be.

“Disrupting that addiction can be difficult for students,” Hoover said. “But overall, they understand it helps them focus and improves face-to-face social interactions at school.”

Some parents worry that phone bans could prevent them from contacting their children during emergencies, especially following a recent shooting at a Georgia high school that resulted in multiple casualties.

The 2019 law includes exceptions for emergencies, and the new law retains those provisions. Supporters of phone restrictions argue that in active shooter situations, having phones off can prevent them from ringing and revealing students’ locations.

In Santa Barbara Unified School District, where phone bans were fully implemented during the 2023-24 school year, teachers have reported increased student engagement, according to Assistant Superintendent ShaKenya Edison.

Los Angeles Unified board member Nick Melvoin, who introduced the district’s policy, said such regulations at the state or district level can reduce students’ feelings of missing out on social media while at school.

Before Folsom’s Sutter Middle School banned phones during the school day, students often recorded fights and engaged in TikTok challenges, according to Principal Tarik McFall. The new rule has “completely changed the culture” at the school, fostering more in-person social interactions, McFall said.

“Having them put their phones away and power them off has been a positive change,” McFall added.

Despite increased reliance on technology for learning, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, some districts, such as Natomas Unified, provide students with Chromebooks for educational purposes. However, when students forget their devices, smartphones often become the fallback tool for accessing curriculum materials, noted Discovery High School social studies teacher Mara Harvey.