Los Angeles school officials on Tuesday — fed up with children’s distraction from social media and concerned about abuses such as cyberbullying — are set to join a growing number of school systems across the country that are banning mobile phone use during the school day.
It is hoped the ban will improve education, reduce bullying, distraction and anxiety, and more meaningful communication with peers and adults.
However, some parents want their children to have mobile phones for safety and communication, and school administrators say the ban may be difficult to enforce.
The proposal was led by Los Angeles Unified School District board member Nick Melvoin.
“This is something I’ve been thinking about for years, as I’ve seen kids walking around campuses on their phones and in class with AirPods,” Melvoin said.
The resolution is co-sponsored by board President Jackie Goldberg and board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin. The resolution needs a fourth vote to pass in the seven-member body.
The proposal would not put the ban into effect immediately. It directs staff to “create and present to the public” policies that would prohibit students from using cellphones and social media “throughout the school day.” This also includes lunch and breaks. Input will be sought from “field experts, labor partners, staff, students and parents,” and details will be sent back to the school board for approval within 120 days.
Elements that need to be worked on include different approaches for different age groups and different technologies like smartwatches.
Options under consideration include providing cellphone lockers or pouches that keep devices locked and inaccessible unless they are tapped with a magnetic device when leaving campus. The technology could also be used to block access to social media platforms.
“Most kids are getting phones at a young age,” Melvoin said. “They’re bringing them to campus. And then I don’t remember much about drug sales over the phone. Or coordinating fights or any of the cyberbullying.” He said key evidence in confidential expulsion hearings sometimes involves students’ text messages.
This policy will come into effect in January 2025.
The largest employees unions did not immediately comment on the proposal when contacted last week.
An elementary school principal said the policy would be onerous, resulting in unnecessary work. He said about 25% of his students have smartphones, but they are a problem for fewer than 1 in 10 students; they can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The principal did not speak for responsibility because he was not authorized to be interviewed.
Another elementary school principal commented on the Facebook group support of teachers by parents that he “doesn’t see a need for Apple watches and cell phones for our young students. Now, as a parent of a LAUSD high school student who walks home sometimes, I do see a need. It’s a safety issue. Overall, I think they cause a lot of unnecessary drama on campuses, but I see it as a need for my high school student.”
AnneMarie Fulton wrote on the Facebook group that her daughter was entering a middle school “10 miles from our home. I don’t want her to not have the ability to call me if she needs to. I’m strict about phone use anyway, but taking away this ability to contact a child just doesn’t seem right.”
There are also parents and staff who support this proposal.
District high school teacher Terri Derrickson Barraza wrote in a post on social media that she “would love to see some kind of ban on cell phones, but only if the district backs up the ban with logical consequences. If we’re just passing a ban without any basis for PR reasons, it makes my job more difficult.”
There was no mention of penalties in the proposal, but the most obvious response to a violation would be that the phone would be confiscated for a reasonable period of time.
Although Melvoin acknowledged that his own comments about the harms of cellphones are merely anecdotal, the board’s resolution cited research consistent with the proposed policy.
The proposal refers to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health A survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that among people born after 1995, anxiety increased by 139% from 2010 to 2020, coinciding with increased smartphone and social media use.
The researchers found that a correlation between two trends does not necessarily mean that one trend caused the other.
In addition, the US Surgeon General wrote 2023 advice Social media may be linked to a growing mental health crisis among teens.
The proposal also cites a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to which 16% of US high school students in 2021 She said she had been harassed via text messages or social media over the past year.
Although social media provides a convenient platform for bullying, it is hard to say how much banning mobile phones during the school day will change this, as these devices will remain available at other times as well.
Critical to the district’s goals are long-term lessons on “digital citizenship” at all grade levels. All students who are provided with online access must participate In Internet Safety Education Program.
In addition, the current policy stipulates that “Approved Social Media It is to be used at school only for educational purposes and under the direction of a teacher or school leader. Home use of social media on district or personal electronic devices is restricted only to sites approved by the district’s web filtering system.”
Resolution Too citing one of 2016 Common Sense Media survey Which found that half of teens feel “addicted” to their phones. 2023 study on 200 students A study by the same group found that 97% of children aged 11 to 17 use their phones during the school day.
The proposal also states that Proof that “limiting mobile phone and social media use during the school day increases academic performance and has a positive impact on students’ mental health.”
Districts and schools across the country have adopted policies restricting student smartphone use. In 2023, public schools across the country will have to ban smartphone use. Florida begins enforcing bans Legislation has been created to restrict students’ phone use during instructional time and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi. Oklahoma, Kansas, Vermont, Ohio, Louisiana and Pennsylvania have also introduced similar legislation, according to the proposal.
California Assembly Bill 3216The legislation, introduced in February, would require school districts to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of smartphones by students at school or under the supervision of a school employee. The law would take effect July 1, 2026.
Cellphone abuse
Some students are using cellphones to plan fights, film them and post the footage online. Not having access to phones during the day can reduce this abuse.
“We’re seeing more and more things being managed through Instagram direct messages or texting during the school day,” Melvoin said.
Fatal shooting on April 15 The killing of a Washington Preparatory High School student was recorded on more than a dozen cellphones. The incident happened just blocks from the school.
Students also use mobile phones to ensure accountability on campus, and document student walkouts or poorly maintained or closed bathrooms.
It could be argued that the new proposal is unnecessary, and that the real issue is its implementation. more than three-quarters Most school districts across the country, including LA Unified, already have bans on non-educational mobile phone use.
under Existing PolicyLA Unified “prohibits the use of cellular phones, pagers, or any electronic signaling devices by students on campus during normal school hours or school activities, except during student lunch or nutrition breaks.”
This policy was adopted in 2011, and Melvoin said This needs to be updated.
Under the policy, students are allowed to have phones, pagers or electronic signaling devices on campus, provided they remain “turned off” and are placed in a locker, backpack, purse, pocket or other location where they will not be visible during normal school hours or activities.
