Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill to make California schools phone-free. Here’s when it takes effect

California school districts will be required to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones in public schools following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature of a new bill into law Monday.

AB 3216 , authored by Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover of Folsom, requires school districts to adopt a policy to limit or ban phones on school campuses by July 1, 2026.

Under current law, districts or county offices of education have the option to ban or limit cell phone use during school hours. The new law makes it mandatory beginning in the 2026 academic year.

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

The bill received some opposition from lawmakers this summer – including from state Sen. Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento – over concerns that kids would not have access to their phone during a school shooting or other emergency.

The new law grants an exception during an emergency or perceived threat. It also would allow students to use phones when a teacher grants permission or when a device is part of a pupil’s individualized learning plan.

Hoover, the bill’s author, thanked Newsom for signing the measure, calling it “a major victory” for students’ mental health and academics.

“Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children. The growing use of these devices in a child’s everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide,” Hoover said. “I am proud our state is taking action to limit the use of smartphones during the school day and protect kids from these harms.”

Newsom signaled earlier this year he would sign the legislation after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for a warning label on social media platforms, like those on cigarette containers, citing negative effects on youth mental health.

“Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours,” Murthy wrote in a June New York Times op-ed . “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”