Will students really get off cellphones? California's Phone-Free Schools Act, explained

California legislators have passed a milestone law requiring schools to devise plans to restrict or ban student cellphone use on campus, aiming to squelch classroom distractions and harmful social media use.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill, which would mandate 1,000 school districts, charter schools and county offices of education across the state to draft their policies by July 1, 2026.

"It is not overly prescriptive," said Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), who introduced the bill. "We obviously require districts to take action by passing a policy to limit smartphone use, but we don't tell them exactly how they have to do that."

Many schools districts have already created their own policies to restrict phones in and outside of class, with varying success and ongoing adaptation. In the battle to determine what works and what doesn't, the law holds promise but could also lead to a hazy landscape of policies at districts throughout the state. And for schools that have adopted bans, some crafty students find ways around them.

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