Phone bans spread fast

State governments are moving quickly to limit student phone use in school, with new laws, pending bills and district mandates landing in several states this week. (gov.ca.gov) California already enacted one of the broadest rules. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3216 in September 2024, requiring every school district, charter school and county office of education to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026, to limit or prohibit student smartphone use during the school day. (gov.ca.gov) A separate California proposal surfaced in Sacramento this week, but it is not the main statewide mandate. Courthouse News reported that Assembly Bill 1644 was delayed twice in the Assembly Education Committee and had not yet been heard as of April 16. (courthousenews.com) Illinois is still debating a statewide floor rather than a full ban. Senate Bill 2427 would require public and charter schools to adopt a cellphone policy and, at minimum, bar student phone use during instructional time, with exceptions for medical needs and emergencies. (fox32chicago.com) The Illinois push comes after committee action in late March. National Public Radio Illinois reported that a House Education Committee amendment to Senate Bill 2427 passed unanimously on March 25, while Illinois remains one of eight states without a statewide restriction on cellphone use in public schools. (nprillinois.org) Michigan moved from local experiments to state law on February 10. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4141 and Senate Bill 495, requiring public and charter schools to prohibit smartphone use during instructional time beginning with the 2026-27 school year. (bridgemi.com) Michigan’s law leaves districts room to decide what happens outside class. Reporting from Michigan State University’s Spartan Newsroom said Lansing’s J. W. Sexton High School has enforced a no-phone policy since 2024, and students there described both fewer distractions and new enforcement problems. (news.jrn.msu.edu) Oklahoma is trying to lock in a temporary statewide rule. Oklahoma Voice reported that the Senate advanced House Bill 1276 on April 15 after lawmakers amended it to make permanent last year’s requirement that districts prohibit student cellphone and personal device use for the full school day. (oklahomavoice.com) That Oklahoma debate grew out of Senate Bill 139, passed in 2025, which told local school boards to adopt campus phone restrictions but let them decide later whether to keep them. The amended House Bill 1276 now heads back to the House. (kgou.org) The common pattern is not a single national ban but a state-by-state shift toward minimum restrictions during class, with local schools deciding whether to go further at lunch, between periods or all day. In California, the deadline is July 1, 2026; in Michigan, the new rules start with the 2026-27 school year; in Illinois and Oklahoma, lawmakers are still writing the final terms. (gov.ca.gov)