California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday 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 US 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 authorised 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. "I look forward to working with the Legislature to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day. 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.

"We support legislation which empowers school leaders to make policy decisions at a local level that reflect their community's concerns and what's necessary to support their students," spokesperson Troy Flint said.

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 Governor 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 earlier this 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.

But a bill by state Senator Nancy Skinner, a Democrat representing Berkeley, that would ban online platforms from providing addictive feeds to minors passed the state Senate in May and is set for a committee hearing in the Assembly next month.

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