In recent years, several California school districts have adopted bans on cellphone use during instructional time. That trend is about to accelerate with the passage of Assembly Bill 3216.
AB 3216 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 24. The new state law requires the governing board of every local educational agency (LEA), county office of education (COE), and charter school to develop and adopt no later than July 1, 2026, a policy to limit or prohibit pupils’ smartphone use while the pupils are in class or at a school site.
Cellphone use in schools has been a topic of increasing interest, and often of debate, in recent years. Several school districts in California, including the 429,000-student Los Angeles Unified School District, have adopted bans, according to this EdSource article. This followed legislation Newsom signed in 2019 authorizing school districts to limit or prohibit students’ use of cellphones at school. The governor expressed an interest in building on that law to further restrict students’ cellphone use at school. His support came after the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms to advise that social media use can harm teenagers’ mental health.
Between now and the July 1, 2026 deadline for policy adoption, school communities will likely be debating what types of limitations they wish to impose on student cell phone use. After initial adoption, districts are required to review and update their policies every five years. In addition, districts are required to include “significant stakeholder participation” as they develop their policies in order to “ensure that the policies are responsive to the unique needs and desires of pupils, parents, and educators in each community.”
The new law includes some exceptions, saying:
- Pupils cannot be prohibited from possessing or using a smartphone in the case of an emergency or perceived threat of danger,
- Educators can grant permission for smartphone use when appropriate
- Individual students may be exempted from the rule based on a physician’s determination or as required in an individualized education program.
Your PTA can take several actions to assure your school district sets a policy supported by the community, and that students and families stay informed about the policy process.
PTAs can call for a meeting about smartphone use, inviting administrators to fully explain the new law and district plans for policy development and adoption. You can also make sure district officials involve students and parents/caregivers in the decision making process, including ways to effectively implement the policy once it is adopted.
Some parents/caregivers have concerns that their school district does not have an effective communication system when there is a crisis at the school. You can collaborate with other PTAs, with assistance from council or district, to make sure every school has an effective system for communicating both internally and externally in an emergency. That can include the use of strategies such as text messaging and social media.
Expert articles, such as this one from UCLA Health, may also help families better understand the rationale behind the new law and changes in local policy.
Your PTA can use this change to also remind parents/caregivers that they are role models to their children regarding cellphone use. That can include limiting their own cellphone use, especially during gatherings with family such as dinner time, and engaging in responsible use of social media. National PTA provides a wealth of resources to help your PTA engage with parents regarding how to guide their children when navigating the digital world.