LAUSD to consider banning student cellphone and social media use during school day
If approved, the policy could go into effect as early as January 2025.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- On the heels of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's op-ed calling for warning labels on social media platforms, the Los Angeles Unified School District - the second largest school district in the country - could consider banning cellphone use during the school day.
On Tuesday, the LAUSD board will consider directing staff to start collecting feedback to create a policy that would ban student phones and social media use during school hours.
"I started to talk to teachers and principals and parents, and even students in my Youth Advisory Council, they all reported the same thing, which is that, yes, this is a huge distraction, it's leading to worsening mental health outcomes, lower academic achievement," said Nick Melvoin, an LAUSD school board member who represents District 4.
Melvoin said LAUSD's 2011 policy restricting cellphones is not fully enforced. His proposal would ban phones throughout the school day, including break periods.
"Schools will have some discretion into how to implement this, whether it's a cellphone locker or these pouches that some folks may be familiar with at comedy shows or concerts," he said.
Melvoin said some schools already implement similar policies, including Marina Del Rey Middle School.
Krystel Diaz, whose children attend another school where cellphones must be turned in, thinks the policy is a great idea. She said it's helped reduce cyber bulling.
While she strongly supports the policy, her children do not.
"They hate it," she said. "They totally hate it."
Dr. Erlanger "Earl" Turner, an associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and an expert in child psychopathology, is optimistic about the policy.
"It's really important for schools to recognize that this is a unique opportunity to teach our current teams about, how do we actually navigate using technology appropriately and also setting boundaries, healthy boundaries," he said.
Turner adds that it's important to consider positive and negative impacts of technology and social media.
"There is some data from the Pew Research Center a couple of years ago that noted that over 50% of students report that they would have challenges reducing their amount of time on social media," he said. Turner also believes young people should be a part of the discussion.
The resolution set to be voted on Tuesday calls for feedback from students, parents, and teachers and guidelines varying by age groups.
It would be funded by the school district itself. If approved, the policy could go into effect as early as January 2025.
