Los Angeles School District to Ban Students from Using Smartphones

TapTechNews June 19th. According to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Board completed a vote on Tuesday, local time, deciding to ban its 429,000 students from using smartphones to avoid distractions and the impacts of social media.

TapTechNews note: The goal of this ban is to enforce it throughout the students' entire school day (including lunch break).

The Los Angeles Unified School District Education Board is the second-largest school district board in the US. With a 5:2 vote result, the board approved a resolution to formulate a policy banning students from using mobile phones and social media platforms within 120 days and will take effect in January 2025.

The board member who proposed the resolution, Nick Melvoin, said, I think we will be the pioneers and students, the whole city, and the whole country will benefit from this. He stated that our students are like adults addicted to mobile phones and secretly play with mobile phones in class. And they don't talk and play with classmates during lunch break because they all have headphones on.

School officials in Los Angeles will also consider whether mobile phones should be stored in bags or lockers during class hours, and will formulate flexible adjustment rules according to students of different ages and those with learning or physical disabilities.

In addition, the school will also study how to use technology to restrict social media platforms, and how these policies should deal with different types of devices such as smart watches.

Not all board members are in favor of the above resolution. Board member George McKenna voted against it because he was worried that the policy is too strict; Board member Scott Schmerelson also voted against it, stating that it is not clear whether this ban applies to non-teaching hours and who will enforce these policies. I think policing mobile phones will be a full-time job.