Virginia Governor Orders Public Schools to Go Cellphone-Free

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks at the 2024 Road to Majority Conference in Washington on June 22, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered public schools in his state to limit students’ use of cellphones in the classroom, as similar restrictions take hold across the nation.

Under an executive order signed on July 9, Virginia’s Department of Education is directed to draft guidance for school districts to adopt policies toward a “cellphone-free education.”

The department will work with teachers, parents, students, and school administrators to design and implement practices that “establish the age-appropriate restriction or elimination of cell phone use during instructional time,” according to the governor’s office.

“Today’s Executive Order both establishes the clear goal to protect the health and safety of our students by limiting the amount of time they are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media and eliminates clear distractions in the classroom,” Mr. Youngkin said in a statement announcing the order.

“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn.”

The Virginia Department of Education has until Aug. 15 to release a draft guidance for public feedback. The final guidance will be published on Sept. 16, and school districts will be required to adopt the new policies by the beginning of 2025.

On average, American teenagers spend nearly five hours each day on social media, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. Health and Human Services suggests that spending more than three hours doubles the risk of mental health problems for adolescents.

Mr. Youngkin’s order also highlighted Virginia students’ poor performance in several national exams over recent years.

In 2021, the state had some of the steepest drops in the country in reading and math scores, with its fourth graders falling below the national average in reading and barely staying above the national average in math.

“Studies indicate that students who use their phone during class learn less and achieve lower grades,” the order stated, attributing the dismal testing results in part to extensive social media activity and widespread cellphone usage among young Virginians.

“The issue extends beyond mere distraction. Substantial phone and social media use can have a cumulative, lasting and detrimental impact on adolescents’ ability to focus and engage in their studies.”

Other Schools Take Action

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school system in the nation, overwhelmingly voted to prohibit its more than 429,000 students from using cellphones and social media during the school day. The decision received praise from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who vowed to implement similar restrictions at the state level.

“I look forward to working with the Legislature to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day,” the governor said in June. “When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies—not their screens.”

New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks, who oversees 1,800 schools serving more than 900,000 students, is also advocating keeping students away from their cellphones so they can focus on learning and in-person interactions with peers and teachers.

More recently, in Pennsylvania, the Senate on July 3 passed a bill 45–5 to establish a pilot program to award grants to schools to buy “secure, lockable” bags. Students would place their cellphones in those bags until the end of the school day.

“Kids spend so much time on social media and using their smartphones that it’s taking a toll on them mentally, emotionally, and academically. Smartphone restrictions have proved successful in reversing these trends,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument, said in a July 3 statement.

“Students deserve to learn without a constant distraction in their pockets, and my legislation would give them that.”