The second-largest U.S. education district, serving over 540,000 Los Angeles students in 1,300 schools, this month joins a growing number of systems that prohibit phone use during school time. The aim is to reduce texting, social media use, cyberbullying, videotaping and other disruptions to learning. LA's ban takes effect Feb. 18, when schools reopen after Presidents' Day weekend. In addition, all public districts statewide must have a plan for cellphone bans or restrictions by July 2026 under the California Phone-Free Schools Act. "This will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they're in school," says Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed the law last year.

LA's ban covers school campuses and all grades, and applies even during lunchtime and breaks. It covers all Wi-Fi devices, including watches and tablets with messaging and internet browsing capabilities. Each school will decide how phones are stored or locked up -- such as in classroom pouches or other containers, or just left in backpacks. (Students still can use phones on buses and in emergencies.) Violators can face verbal warnings, counseling, parental notification or even temporary device confiscation.

Superintendent Alberto Cavalho, who feels many students are "addicted" to phones, said the ban is aimed at encouraging face-to-face conversations and fun. "Students will finally be separated from mobile phones during the regular school day, allowing them to be the kids they are," he said. "Allowing them to socially interact with peers of their age. Allowing them to not be distracted in the classroom."

A similar policy took effect last school year in Santa Barbara, Calif., and last fall in all Indiana public schools. Phone bans were adopted earlier in Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere. Seventy-two percent of U.S. high school teachers say phone distraction is a major issue, the Pew Research Center of Washington, D.C., reported in June 2024. At the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C., chief science officer Mitch Prinstein says: "We have good science to show that banning cell phones in classrooms during class time is really important because there's no such thing as multitasking. We all are just engaging in task-shifting back and forth, and kids' brains are not fully developed enough to be able to task-shift as well as adults."

LA board member says: "Our students are glued to their cell phones – not unlike adults. They're surreptitiously scrolling in school, in class time. They have their head in their hands walking down the hallways. They're not talking to each other or playing at lunch or recess because they have their AirPods in." – Nick Melvoin, Los Angeles Unified School District

Student says: "Just focus on your learning, because that's what we're here for." – Zoe Pinedo, 14, of Indiana

Ohio educator says: "We were having many issues – bullying, fighting, a lot of drama. We knew we had to do something." – Amy Gayheart, assistant superintendent at Fairborn, Ohio, which banned phones last year