In the US, 14 states have already passed laws to limit smartphones in schools: how the decisions are explained

The governor of the American state of California, Gavin Newsom, signed a bill that requires schools to limit or ban the use of smartphones. This year, 13 other US states have already restricted phones in schools or issued recommendations to local educators.

For the first time in the country, such a law was passed in Florida in 2023. This is reported by Reuters.

The California bill requires school boards or other governing bodies to develop policies to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones by students on school grounds by July 1, 2026.

The decision, the journalists write, was made amid a growing consensus that excessive use of gadgets can increase the risk of mental illness and impair learning.

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“We know that excessive use of smartphones increases anxiety, depression and other problems , but we have an opportunity to step in. This new law will help students focus on learning, social development and the world in front of them, not on their screens when they're at school,” – Newsom said in a statement.

California, which has about 5.9 million students in public schools, followed the example of its Los Angeles County school board in June, which banned smartphones for 429,000 students.

In the same month, US Chief Medical Officer Vivek Murthy called for warning tabs on social media like those printed on cigarette packs.

Murthy cited a study in the medical journal JAMA that said teenagers , who spend more than three hours a day on social media, may be at increased risk of mental illness.

He added that surveys show that the average teenager spends 4.8 hours a day online.

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