A movement calling for students to limit cell phone use in schools is growing in the US.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is leading a strong push to reduce students’ dependence on smartphones. He has called on school districts across the state to impose stricter regulations on phone use on campus, with the goal of improving the quality of education and encouraging students to focus more on their studies.

Sharing the same view, the South Carolina State Board of Education is also actively reviewing and drafting specific guidelines to completely ban the use of cell phones during school hours, thereby creating a healthy and effective learning environment.

The call to limit students' use of smartphones on campus is receiving special attention in the current social context. The debate about the negative impact of social networks on the mental health of young people is becoming increasingly heated.

Specifically, smartphone abuse can lead to problems such as internet addiction, depression, anxiety, reduced ability to concentrate and direct social interaction. In the school environment, excessive phone use also reduces learning efficiency, causes distraction during class and creates inequality when some students are distracted by notifications and games on the phone.

In addition, limiting the use of phones in schools also aims to protect students from other negative impacts such as cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content and invasion of privacy. Schools are actively looking for solutions to balance the use of technology in teaching and protecting the mental health of students.

Efforts to limit cell phone use in schools in Utah, Florida, Louisiana and other states are becoming more common. Education officials in these states have introduced specific policies such as banning phones from class, requiring students to leave their phones in lockers or turn them off during class. The moves are aimed at solving the problem of distraction in the classroom, helping students focus on lectures and interact more effectively with teachers and friends.

Although cell phone bans have been enacted, their implementation has been difficult. Many students find ways to “evade” teachers by hiding their phones in hard-to-detect places such as in shoes, pockets, and even in the toilet. Checking each student’s phone is a time-consuming and difficult task, especially for schools with large numbers of students.

In addition, some students believe that phones are useful learning tools and a complete ban is unnecessary. They believe that reasonable use of phones can help them search for information, solve homework or contact friends when needed.

Another issue is parents’ concerns about emergency contact. In the event of an incident, not being able to contact their children immediately is a source of anxiety for many parents. However, schools have also come up with alternative solutions such as setting up landline numbers so that parents can contact the school if necessary.

The debate over banning cell phones in schools has been going on for years, but Stanford University professor Antero Garcia argues we are going in the wrong direction. Instead of seeing phones as a threat, we should be looking at ways to harness the power of technology to improve education.

But some parents say banning cell phones will help their children focus in class. Jessica French, a parent of a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old in Palo Cedro, California, said her son was playing a game on a classmate’s phone while at school, distracting him from his studies. Jessica French said there should be a statewide ban on phones in classrooms.

Sharing the same opinion with Ms. Jessica French, Nathalie Hrizi - a parent and teacher in San Francisco city also said that the ban on cell phones can help reduce distractions in the classroom and parents can still contact their children if needed by calling the school.

The fight against cell phone use in the classroom has made new strides in California. Leading the effort is Los Angeles Unified, one of the largest school districts in the country with more than 500,000 students. Its decision to ban student cell phone use during school hours, effective next January, has created a wave of concern.

“With such a large student population, enforcing this ban will undoubtedly be a challenge for schools,” said Los Angeles Unified School Board member Nick Melvoin. “However, administrators are looking for creative ways to implement the new policy without putting too much pressure on teachers.”

Troy Flint, a spokesman for the California School Boards Association, stressed that decisions regarding student use of electronic devices in schools are extremely diverse and depend on individual schools and communities. He said these issues should be addressed at the local level, where education administrators can make decisions that best fit the needs and conditions of each district.

Laurie Miles, a representative from the California Association for Bilingual Education, expressed concerns about banning cell phones in the classroom. She said that while it is necessary to limit distractions, a blanket ban could be difficult for many students, especially those learning English as a second language.

For example, Ms. Miles gave an example of how some teachers have allowed students to use their phones to look up dictionaries or translate complex readings, making the learning process more effective. Therefore, setting rules that are too rigid can unintentionally hinder the learning process of some students.

In a bold move to ban cell phones in schools, South Carolina state lawmakers this summer passed a strict rule on cell phone use in schools. All schools in the state must ban students from using cell phones during class and school activities. Failure to comply with the rule could result in schools facing cuts in state funding.

To ensure effective implementation, schools have until early 2025 to develop specific regulations and prescribe penalties for students who violate them. In the future, lawmakers will consider making the regulation permanent or creating similar requirements to ensure schools continue to comply.

Commenting on the lawmakers' decision, South Carolina State Board of Education Chairman Dr. David O'Shields said we should consider carefully before making any decisions related to the future of students.

He stressed that making hasty decisions could have unintended consequences. Instead, he suggested taking more time to develop a strong system of rules and listening to input from all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and administrators.

A recent survey of teachers in the state of South Carolina found a significant consensus on limiting cell phone use in the classroom. Specifically, 92% of teachers surveyed expressed support for this measure, of which 55% wanted to completely ban cell phone use during class.

Meanwhile, the survey results conducted by South Carolina State Education Director Ellen Weaver further reinforced the above view when showing that 83% of teachers said that cell phones are a serious distraction to students' learning process.