US states want to ban cell phones in schools. How would that work?

As a middle school teacher, Nancy Streit knows how difficult it can be to compete with smartphones for a child’s attention.

But as a mother, she knows these devices are necessary in an emergency.

“It’s mostly calls from parents,” she said, adding that while she doesn’t allow cell phones in the classroom, students often circumvent the rules.

The Los Angeles school district where Ms. Street teaches is the second-largest school district in the country and the latest this week to ban smartphones in schools.

It’s part of a growing and familiar trend as more states and schools across the country consider how to manage children’s growing reliance on devices.

New York and California, the nation’s two most populous states, are considering new statewide policies on the topic.

Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom called for a ban on smartphones in classrooms and said he would work with lawmakers to develop a policy. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul has advocated for a similar law.

This spring, Indiana’s governor signed a classroom ban that will go into effect in the fall.

The efforts mark the latest chapter in a long-running debate over regulating smartphone use in schools and come amid a post-pandemic wave of concerns about teen mental health.

Most American schools already have some kind of phone policy in place. About 76% of schools have banned non-academic use in the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Department of Education U.S. Department of Education.

However, the latest wave of regulations seeks to go further.

Raphaela Hodges, a sixth-grade teacher at a Los Angeles school, said she has seen dramatic and worrying changes in the way children socialize.

“When they feel uncomfortable, they pick up the phone,” she told the BBC.

This is also an issue where the two parties rarely reach consensus. Lawmakers Both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states have pursued similar policies.

Florida implemented a state law last year requiring school districts to ban cellphone use in classrooms and block access to social media through school Wi-Fi.

The law also requires schools to “provide guidance on the social, emotional and physical effects of social media.”

Individual regions in states such as Maine and Virginia have also enacted stricter rules on phone use, as have Canadian provinces such as Ontario and Alberta.

Concerns about cell phones in schools have been around for as long as these devices have been around, but there is little consensus and much controversy.

Since the 1980s, there have been several attempts in the United States to ban the use of communication devices in classrooms.

Early critics worried that cellphones could distract students and their connection to the drug trade.

But the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, which killed 13 people, led some parents and schools to re-evaluate the role of cell phones as important communication tools in emergencies. States have loosened those rules — including California, which repealed its phone ban in 2002.

The debate has been reignited as schools argue mobile phones are increasingly distracting, fueling cyberbullying and a potential means for students to cheat on homework.

New York City, which has more than 1 million students, began with a strict ban but reversed course in 2015 to allow individual schools to set policies.

The current wave of policies comes as experts express concerns about students’ mental health and use of social media.

On Monday, one of the nation’s top health officials took to social media platforms to call for similar warning labels to be placed on cigarette packs.

Health Secretary Vivek Murthy believes social media increases the risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children, although research on the subject is mixed.

“You have a situation where children are not only studying hard, but they are also on their phones, texting friends, responding to messages on social media, scrolling through feeds,” Dr Muti told the BBC.

“Not only does this make learning very difficult, but it also makes it difficult to build relationships and friendships in school.”

A study published in 2019 and frequently cited by federal health offices found that teenagers who spent more than three hours a day on social media faced double the risk of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

Will the policy shift last? Historically, schools have struggled to find a balance between safety and the temptation to limit social media.

Ken Trump, director of the National School Safety and Security Administration, said policies will not work without strong community consensus and consistency in enforcement.

“It’s a lot more than the average parent or other people from afar might imagine. It’s a tough issue with a lot of complexities,” Mr. Trump said.

In Los Angeles, board members voted Tuesday to ban the devices starting next year. But how the policy will work remains unclear.

Alyssa, an 18-year-old from Los Angeles, told the BBC she couldn’t imagine high school life without mobile phones.

“We have a huge campus — no one can monitor it all,” she said. “There are a lot of places you can go and not be discovered.”