California governor urges stricter enforcement of mobile phone restrictions in elementary and middle schools
2024-08-15
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Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, August 13 (Reporter Huang Heng) California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a letter to school district supervisors in the state on the 13th, urging the school districts to step up the implementation of the state's previously promulgated ordinance restricting the use of smartphones on elementary and middle school campuses.
In his letter, Newsom asked school districts to "take immediate action" to limit students' use of smartphones during school hours. He said reducing the use of phones in the classroom would improve students' concentration and academic performance and enhance social interaction.
In his letter, Newsom cited data from survey agencies, saying, "Increases in anxiety, depression and other mental health problems are related to teenagers' excessive use of smartphones." A Pew Research Center survey showed that 72% of high school teachers and 33% of middle school teachers believed that mobile phone interference was one of the reasons for the surge in mental health problems among American teenagers.
California passed a law in 2019 giving school districts the power to regulate students' use of smartphones while in school, but districts have different practices in exercising this power.
A spokesperson for the California School Boards Association said on the 13th that how to manage students' use of mobile phones should be arranged by each school based on actual conditions. Some parents are worried that if an emergency such as a school shooting occurs, disabling mobile phones may result in them being unable to contact their children.
In an interview with US media, Antero Garcia, a professor at Stanford University Graduate School of Education, said that the suggestion to restrict the use of mobile phones in elementary and middle schools is a good thing, but officials often use bans as a solution rather than finding effective ways to integrate students' digital devices into learning tools.
