California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced June 18 that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. The announcement, which was first reported by Politico, comes a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their effects on young people. Newsom said he plans to build on a law he signed in 2019 that authorized school districts to limit or ban the use of smartphones by students while at school or under the supervision of a school employee. “As the Surgeon General affirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our youth,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies—not their screens.” Newsom’s office did not provide further details on the proposal. But the California School Boards Association said any regulations over student smartphone use should be left up to school districts, not the state. Newsom's announcement comes amid growing debate across the country over how to address the impacts of social media and smartphone usage, particularly on young people. Some teens have pledged to stay off social media to improve their mental health and to help them focus on schoolwork and extracurricular activities. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year signed one of the most restrictive bans in the nation on children's use of social media. The New York State Legislature passed a bill last month that would allow parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested to them by the platform's algorithm. In California, a proposal to fine social media platforms for addicting children has failed to become law in recent years. “It's just too hard for every teacher, every school, or every parent to have to figure this out on their own,” Democrat State Sen. Henry Stern said. “There's some times where government just has to step in and make some bigger rules of the road.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.