Cell phones and social media have been banned in Los Angeles public schools

Board members for the Los Angeles Unified School District, pictured, voted 5-2 in favor of banning cell phones and social media during school hours

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school district in the United States, has voted to ban cell phone and social media usage throughout the school day. This new policy, approved by a 5-2 vote on Tuesday, will affect nearly 500,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

While LAUSD already prohibits cell phone use during class time, the new ban extends to the entire school day, including breaks and lunchtime. The Board of Education plans to finalize the details of the policy, set to take effect in January, later this year .

Potential measures under consideration include locked pouches or cellphone lockers to enforce the ban, according to ABC News . The district aims to develop the policy based on best practices and input from experts, staff, students, parents, and labor partners. Special considerations will be made for students who use their phones for translation services .

Nick Melovin, a school board member who voted for the ban, highlighted the pervasive use of cell phones among students. "Students are glued to their cellphones, surreptitiously scrolling in class or with their heads in their hands, walking down hallways. They’re not interacting with each other or playing during lunch or recess because they have their AirPods in," Melovin told the Los Angeles Times .

However, some parents have expressed safety concerns regarding the ban. AnneMarie Fulton, a parent with a child in LAUSD, voiced her opposition on social media, stating, "I don’t want her to not have access to call me if needed. I’m strict on phone usage anyway, but taking that ability to contact away from a child doesn’t exactly seem right" .

Additionally, Joseph Williams, director of Students Deserve, a group supporting student activists, pointed out potential drawbacks of the ban. "In the past, some students have used phones to capture incidents of police violence or to connect with their parents or lawyers/advocates when their rights were being violated," Williams said .

The decision follows a call from US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for social media platforms to have tobacco-style warning labels indicating the mental health risks associated with their use for adolescents. Murthy emphasized that a congressional mandate for such warnings would regularly remind parents and adolescents of the potential dangers of social media .