Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday requiring California school districts to limit or ban their students’ cellphone use, putting the state with the nation’s largest K-12 student body at the forefront of a growing movement aimed at getting distracted students off their devices in class and focusing on learning.

The law, the Phone-Free Schools Act, requires California’s 1,000 school districts, charter schools and county school boards to develop policies on student cellphone use by July 1, 2026. It leaves it up to local schools whether to ban students from using cellphones altogether, but the law requires schools to restrict phone use to “support student learning and well-being.”

“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression and other mental health problems – but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said in a statement after signing the bill. “This new law will help students in school focus on their studies, their social development and the world in front of them, not their screens.”

The law comes after the Los Angeles Unified School District passed an even stricter rule than the state, calling for a complete ban on cell phones during the school day by January 2025. Details of how the ban will be implemented are currently being discussed.

California joins several states in a rapidly growing effort to restrict or ban cell phone use by students on campus.

Last year, Florida passed a law banning student cell phones in classrooms for grades 1-12. A similar law will take effect in Indiana next year, and in Ohio, the governor recently signed a law requiring schools to take steps to “minimize” student cell phone use. In Virginia, the governor has also ordered schools to offer “cell phone-free classes” by January by requiring students to carry their cell phones with them during the day, including during lunch.

In New York City, officials from the nation’s largest school system said last month they would postpone plans to reinstate a cellphone ban that was in place until 2015. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he and the schools chancellor wanted to wait and see how the restrictions worked in Los Angeles and elsewhere before moving forward.

Although California law is intentionally flexible, it does contain some peculiarities. For example, schools cannot prohibit a student from owning a cell phone if a licensed physician or surgeon determines that the student needs the device for health reasons. Additionally, students in certain individualized education programs are allowed to bypass these restrictions.

The law allows students to access phones in emergency situations. However, the law does not state that a phone must be a student’s own device. It is up to school districts to decide what constitutes an emergency and how phones can be used.

The issue of emergencies is a point of contention among students and parents. Last month, after students texted their parents during a shooting at a Georgia high school that left four people dead, Newsom answered questions at a press conference about his support for cellphone restrictions.

“All possible considerations” will be taken into account when developing policies in schools over the next two years, he said, adding that mobile phones would “impede the ability to provide quality instruction.”

LA Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the school district is working to clarify when students can use phones in class, what scenarios are considered emergencies and how schools can provide students with “reasonable access” to phones in those circumstances.

Other exceptions that may exist, he said, include students learning English and those with diabetes who may need a phone to monitor their blood sugar levels.

State law also gives teachers and administrators the power to override their school district’s policies, effectively creating their own.

LA Unified still has to make key decisions about its rules, including how much autonomy to give schools in setting their own cellphone policies. Options being considered in LA include using cellphone bags that remain locked until a student opens them with a magnetic device. Phones could also be collected at the start of class or stored in cellphone lockers. Technology could also be used to render cellphones unusable for making calls, texting and accessing the Internet, even if the devices remain in a student’s possession.

“We are pleased that the rest of the state is following our lead to support student learning and mental health,” said Nick Melvoin, a Los Angeles School Board member and author of the resolution.

A district spokesperson added that LAUSD hopes the state law will “bring about dramatic change in a generation of students who can focus on learning, socialize and enjoy the learning environment without the distractions and dangers of cell phones.”

In Los Angeles, teachers and parents are largely supportive of the restrictions. In addition to emergency cases, some parents have raised concerns about coordinating schedules, such as picking up children at school. Students have been considerably less enthusiastic, although some have been persuaded at schools that already have cell phone restrictions in place.

When Madison Thacker, a 12th-grader at Van Nuys High School, heard about the new state law, she expressed hope that school districts would avoid outright bans on cell phones and only enact restrictions.

“It makes a big difference whether you use your cell phone during class or during lunch or other activities,” says Thacker. At her school, where she is part of a performing arts magnet program, the cell phone ban in Los Angeles is “all the students talk about.”

“Yes, I understand why we need to limit class time, but cell phones are part of our lives,” she said. “I don’t understand why we need to take them away when we’re not in class. I don’t understand why we need a total ban or treat cell phones like the enemy.”

Some Los Angeles public schools already had cellphone bans in place before the districtwide action. School administrators say the results have been generally positive — although some teachers said enforcement can be difficult and students find ways to get around the rules, such as bringing two cellphones to school.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), easily passed both houses of the House with support from Republicans and Democrats. In a letter to public schools last month, Newsom urged “every school district to act now to restrict smartphone use on campus.”

At least one major group, the California School Boards Assn., opposed Newsom’s stance on the law.

Spokesman Troy Flint said the measure strips authority from school district leaders, who may conduct their own investigations and decide that restricting or banning cell phones would not benefit their students.

Despite that stance, Flint said his association will support school districts in their efforts to comply with the new law and monitor its impact and potential unintended consequences.

Times writer Mackenzie Mays contributed to this report.