LAUSD cell phone ban begins in January

LOS ANGELES - In June, school board members from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the nation, voted to move forward on a resolution banning cell phones during school hours beginning in January 2025.

LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the plan includes possible litigation against social media companies to protect students from addictive content.

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"This is certainly the least controversial right decision we've made, but it's one that's actually being celebrated by parents, a lot of students that recognize the deleterious impact that that cell phone overuse has had on kids' mental well-being. So we have about four months to consult with stakeholders, researchers, teachers, parents, students themselves and principals," Carvalho said. 

"We're also analyzing available technology for technologies for the safe storage of the cell phones or technologies that may disable the signal, rendering the cell phone useless so that you would not have to store the phone," he added.

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The resolution was spearheaded by LAUSD Board Member, Nick Melvoin. In an Instagram post, Melvoin said "The research is clear: widespread use of smartphones and social media by kids and adolescents is harmful to their mental health, distracts from learning, and stifles meaningful in-person interaction."

"We want kids to socially interact with their peers, rather than having their heads down, even when they are around their peers, which we often see. We want to limit distractions in the classroom. We want to empower teachers with the educational environment that they deserve," Carvalho said. 

"It's a work in progress. We will bring the final recommendations sometime around December for possible implementation in January of 2025," he added.

Other districts have already implemented no cell phone policies. 

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"Some use cell phone lockers. So when a kid enters the school they just check their phone in a locker and they get it on the way out," Melvoin said. "Others use these pouches that some people might be familiar with from comedy shows or concerts."

However, some school administrators believe a ban would be difficult to enforce, and some parents want their kids to have cell phones for safety.