On Tuesday, Assemblyman and Folsom resident Josh Hoover announced that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the Phone-Free Schools Act into law, landmark legislation authored by Assemblymembers Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), and David Alvarez (D-San Diego) to limit the use of smartphones in schools. Assembly Bill 3216 requires school districts in California to adopt a policy no later than July 1, 2026 that limits or prohibits the use of smartphones by students during the school day.
“I appreciate the leadership of Governor Newsom and our bipartisan coalition of legislators that worked together to make the Phone-Free Schools Act a reality. AB 3216 is a major victory for protecting and improving the mental health and academic outcomes of students across California,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover. “Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children. The growing use of these devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. I am proud our state is taking action to limit the use of smartphones during the school day and protect kids from these harms.”
Many school districts, including Folsom-Cordova, who have already limited or prohibited smartphone use in schools have seen resounding success. Administrators have reported increased social interaction among peers, decreased instances of bullying on campus, and improvements in academic outcomes. A 2016 studyfound that when smartphones were removed from classrooms standardized test scores increased by an average of six percent, with even greater improvements among low achieving students. The Phone-Free Schools Act will continue to build on this success by expanding limitations on smartphones statewide.
A recent piece published in The Atlantic by NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt described a number of the potential harms that smartphone use is contributing to in children:
● Grades suffer when learning is disrupted as a result of smartphone distractions in the classroom
● Up to 15% of teenagers engage in “problematic social media use,” which includes symptoms such as preoccupation, withdrawal symptoms, neglect of other areas of life, and lying to parents and friends about time spent on social media
● The latest Gallup data found that American teenagers spend around 5 hours per day on social media platforms alone
● As smartphones have become ubiquitous since 2010 we have seen a 70% increase in the number of high school seniors expressing that “life often feels meaningless (now more than 1 in 5 seniors express this)
● Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are on the rise among young people
● Poor mental health outcomes and smartphone use are most strongly correlated in kids under the age of 14
Josh Hoover represents Assembly District 7, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova and the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale, and Rosemont.