NJ has new guidance for schools regarding student cellphone use. What it says

New Jersey's Department of Education has released new guidance to school districts about creating cellphone policies in schools, amid growing concerns over the impact of their use on students' learning and mental health.

Currently, New Jersey school districts may create their own policies dictating students' cellphone use while in school, said a letter sent Wednesday to district superintendents.

While policies should consider the benefits of smartphones — such as accessing digital resources in class — the guidance pointed to research showing the negative impacts of excessive cellphone use on students, including increased anxiety and depression and poorer academic performance.

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"College students allowed to use cellphones during lectures performed worse on end-of-term exams by at least 5%, equivalent to a half-letter grade reduction," the guidance said, referring to a Rutgers University study that discussed how the "intrusion of internet-enabled electronic devices (laptop, tablet, and cellphone) has transformed the modern college lecture into a divided attention task."

Students who used phones during lecture for non-academic purposes understood the material being taught, but did not retain the information as well as those who did not use phones, the study said.

Schools that have placed restrictions on cellphone use, the state said, have seen "improved social interactions, with students more likely to engage with each other and their teachers."

Still, any new policies should be made after careful consideration and serious dialogue with parents and community members, with clear expectations for communication during emergency situations, the state advised.

Commission on impact of social media on kids

The state education department is convening a "Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents," to come up with proposals and methods to reduce harm caused by unhealthy social media and cellphone use among children and youth.

The commission's findings will inform future policy-making and next steps from the state, it said. Members of the public are invited to send comments and feedback about existing cellphone policies in school districts to SocialMediaCommission@doe.nj.gov .

The move to mitigate social media effects on kids has spread beyond education circles. "Wait until 8th," a community initiative run by a group of parents based in Austin, Texas, asks parents to take a pledge to wait until eighth grade before buying their child a smartphone. The program builds support by creating school communities that adopt the pledge to bring to administrators and school boards.

In New Jersey, the suicide of Adriana Kuch , a 14-year-old student at Central Regional High School in Bayville on Feb 4., after fellow students attacked her in a hallway and posted a video online, led to an outcry.

Ramsey, other districts implementing restrictions

Some New Jersey school districts have issued policies requiring students to surrender their phones or drop them into a bag while on premises. Other policies authorize district administrators to seize them. Linden, New Brunswick, East Orange, Pennsauken, Jersey City, Willingboro and Bridgeton school districts use lock bags for cellphones.

In Bergen County, the Ramsey Board of Education is working on an "Away for The Day" policy that, once implemented, would have the youngest kids turning off their phones and keeping them in their backpacks. High schoolers would be required to place their phones in a storage system while in class. Middletown school district in Monmouth County has implemented a similar policy that takes effect this fall.

Nine states and at least three citywide school districts moved to create restrictions on cellphone use in schools since 2019, according to a July report from the Education Commission of the States, a national organization led by state education commissioners, governors and lawmakers.

The push to regulate phone use by kids appears to cross party lines.

Florida prohibited student cellphone use during instructional time in 2023. It requires teachers to assign an area for cellphones during lessons.

California passed a 2019 law permitting school boards to create restrictive phone-use policies, with exceptions for emergencies and for special education students, the report said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams held off on issuing a widely expected cellphone ban throughout its schools, according to comments made this week.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ has new guidance for schools regarding student cellphone use. What it says