Virginia has joined an increasing number of states and other locations that aim to restrict or outright forbid youths from using cellphones and social media in public schools.
Republican governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 on Tuesday, directing several state agencies, including the schooling Department of Virginia, to establish new policies for cell-free schooling by January of the next year.
“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn,” the governor stated in a news release. “Creating cellphone and social media-free educational environments in Virginia’s K-12 education system will benefit students, parents, and educators.”
The final rules are anticipated to be released in September, with a draft expected by August 15.
It would limit the use of phones in public schools for students in grades K–12, but it wouldn’t outright ban them. Instead, it would suggest solutions like pouches or “phone lockers” while other procedures are worked out before the program begins in 2025.
Youngkin mentions the five hours that children spend on their phones on average as well as the mounting worries about the connection between social media use and mental health problems.
This is happening at the same time as the US Surgeon General called for warning labels on social media to resemble those found on cigarettes in June.
“Government cannot be the sole solution to this crisis,” Virginia’s Education Secretary Aimee Guidera stated.
According to a Pew Research Center study released last week, at least 72% of American high school teachers believe that cellphone distraction is a “major problem in the classroom.”
“School communities — especially parents and teachers — must work together to discuss and develop common sense approaches to limit screen time, prioritize open channels of communication, and re-establish norms that reinforce healthy and vibrant learning communities,” Guidera stated.
This comes weeks after kids were prohibited from using smartphones and social media during school, breaks, and lunch in June by the school board of the second-largest school system in the country, Los Angeles Unified School system, by a vote of 5 to 2.
Subsequently, in an interview, Chancellor of New York City’s Public Schools David Banks hinted that a plan akin to LA’s might be in the works for the city’s enormous public school system, considering phone calls not only distractions but also an addiction and a “major issue,” and that an official announcement might take place at a later time.
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Many states are actively contemplating taking similar actions, including New York, which in June took steps to impose certain limits by limiting the amount of data social media companies can gather and use.
States like Ohio, Florida, and Indiana have previously approved laws of a similar nature.
Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a statewide ban on smartphone use in California schools. California state lawmakers have filed AB 3216, which would force school districts to restrict or outlaw cellphone use in classrooms as early as July 2026.
