By Diana Lambert – EdSource
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to school district leaders Tuesday calling on them to immediately restrict the use of cellphones on campus.
“Excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues,” Newsom said in the letter.
The governor cited a Pew Research Center survey that found that 72% of high school and 33% of middle school teachers reported cellphone distractions as a major problem. Common Sense Media found that 97% of students use their phones during the school day for a median of 43 minutes, according to the letter.
The letter applauded schools and districts, including Santa Barbara Unified and Bullard High in Fresno, that have already limited the use of cellphones on campus. He said some of the schools have reported higher test scores, grades and student engagement, and less bullying and damage to school facilities since they instituted restrictions.
“The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions,” Newsom said.
Newsom reminded school leaders that legislation signed in 2019 gives them the authority to regulate smartphones during school hours. He urged school districts to act immediately to restrict cellphone use this school year.
“This legislation was a crucial step in our efforts to minimize distractions and foster a more conducive environment for our students to learn,” Newsom said. “It is imperative that school districts take full advantage of this law to address the growing concerns surrounding student well-being and academic performance.”
The governor also indicated that he will be working with the Legislature to pass legislation to further limit the use of cellphones by students on campus.
“Every classroom should be a place of focus, learning, and growth,” Newsom said. “Working together, educators, administrators, and parents can create an environment where students are fully engaged in their education, free from the distractions on the phones and pressures of social media.”
I agree with this but NewScum is an absolute moron…
We don’t need to listen to any more of his advice! If you do listen to him, might as well give up your kids.
The damage he or giggles would do to our country as president, might never be undone.
About time he did something smart. Not likely his idea and probably pandering to the masses as normal. Guy is such a pile of C&^p and needs something to make him look legit.
Far better article citing problems with newsom’s as usual simplistic sound bite thought process.
https://tinyurl.com/544ny226
Regarding this issue – where has Newsom been the last 15 years?
This is pandering, just like his about-face on homelessness. He’s scrambling to keep his national ambitions alive, after losing the shadow contest to be the replacement for Biden.
Ban the cell phones so that they can be indoctrinated easier by the California teachings?
I get having kids stay off devices during class time, it there are so many other easier ways to do it. One teacher I know has a cubby hole at the door for each student phone. They place it in there when they walk in the classroom and pick it up on the way out.
Hmmm
Higher test scores, and he is positive that this the result of banned devices? Or could there be other contributing factors? I would like to see this study, and the data points but it is probably with the receipts for the masks that were purchased for 1 Billion dollars or with the 24 Billion spent on homelessness.
No new legislation I needed for this to happen. Any further laws would be either virtue signaling or some stealth attempt to infring on a right.
Life was better without cell phones attached to your ear. People actually had friends and less anxiety and mental illness, tech neck and brain tumors. This is the first logical thing Newsom has done, but it’s because he has school age children and wants to control their lives.
B.s. newscum. You just don’t want kids to contact their parents when they are asked by teachers if they want a gender change you pos!
I suspect Newsom was just given a bunch of Yondr stock options.
BINGO!
You can cut your junk off without parents knowing…but no cell phone.What a fake.
Minors don’t get gender reassignment surgery without parents’ permission. That is a myth turned out by the right wing propaganda networks.
Put live streaming cameras in all classrooms clown. Then the kids will give up the phones. This should be the argument. Why don’t parents have the right to see and hear what these teachers are doing with their children?
Trust me, this has nothing to do with your kids grades
Everything he is doing is for the election cause CA has to make Harris look great! only problem is CA is a 3rd world state. But now SF is getting cleaned up & homeless are being moved. Smoke & mirrors folks
Leave the kids alone
A broken clock is right at least once a day.
I respectfully disagree, as there may be emergencies during which our children need to contact us; the Bay Area is not the safest place. However, I agree that if students have their phones out during class and are instructed to put them away, that is reasonable.
Teachers probably complained that too many kids were fact-checking the crap they were being told.
I already restricted Newscum so this means very little, my grandkids will always carry their phones while in school classrooms and there isnt a damn thing anybody can do to stop them from doing that.
People, if you don’t want your kids corrupted by what passes for public education, take them out! You aren’t solving anything by giving them a smartphone 24/7, you’re just adding another problem.
If you really think their safety requires always having a cell phone, put an emergency dumb phone in their backpack. It’s robbing them of their childhood to make their whole life revolve around smartphones.
@LED
Kids learn more on their smartphones than they do from any teacher in any school in any grade.
If that’s true for your school, take your kids out. A phone isn’t going to fix the problem.
Having info available is not the same thing as learning. Check out the trends in every metric of learning: the smartphone generation is disproportionately mentally ill, less able to launch as independent adults, and less competent by any standardized test measure.