SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider measures similar to those in Los Angeles County to restrict the use of mobile devices in schools.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said the two measures she will propose at Tuesday’s meeting are designed to help school administrators and parents keep students focused on their studies and protect their mental health.
The first is a guideline for district mental health professionals to help school districts develop plans to limit cell phone use in schools. The second is a partnership with a nonprofit organization that will provide lockable cell phone bags, cell phone lockers, or cell phone bag holders to middle and high schools that want to pilot a program to limit cell phone use in their classrooms.
“I want our district to help school administrators and parents keep students focused on their studies and protect their mental health,” said Lawson-Remer, vice chair of the panel. “School is hard enough without the distraction of a beeping or vibrating phone and the trauma caused by cyberbullying.”
“The statistics show that our children’s mental health is affected when they are glued to their cell phones. I want our county to help bring in our experts,” she said.
According to a recent study by Common Sense Media, 97% of teens use cell phones during the school day and receive an average of more than 200 notifications per day—many of them during school hours.
This month, Governor Gavin Newsom urged all school districts across the state to limit cellphone use during the school day, and the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association also issued health recommendations.
In the Los Angeles Unified School District, students returned to classrooms this month with a law already in place banning the use of cell phones in class.
“We need to separate them,” said LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “We need to allow them to be children again, to socialize with their peers and be what children should be: happy, playful and joyful.”
In her District 3 — nearly the entire county coast, from Coronado to Carlsbad — Lawson-Remer works with the nonprofit Campana Studios.
This organization has received a $100,000 district grant to support some middle and high schools in the Third District that are interested in piloting a program that limits student cell phone use during the school day.
“As an organization committed to creating opportunities for creative expression in San Diego County, we see that over-dependence on cell phones and excessive screen time can stunt the creativity of our K-12 students,” said Jay Bell, founder of Campana. “We see this program as an opportunity to continue our work with local schools to nurture student imaginations and set the stage for our youth to develop a better connection to the curriculum, their classmates, teachers and our community.”
“We are available as a contact for all schools that are interested in implementing a pilot program.”
Lawson-Remer said her office will contact the 35 middle and high schools in District 3 to make sure they are aware of the available funds and provide them with a sign-up link to connect with the nonprofit.
The Supervisory Board meets at 9 a.m.
