Virginia is on track to become the next state to ban cellphone use in classrooms and is currently exploring ways to make the initiative more palatable to both students and educators. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 (PDF) seeks to limit or outright ban cellphone use during class time, while also striking a balance between the need to contact emergency contacts or for pick-up schedules.
The Virginia Department of Education, in coordination with the Department of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services, would need to develop a definition of “no cell phone education,” and schools may have to provide porches or lockers that are accessible only for scheduling matters or to contact families in emergencies.
These guidelines will be presented to K-12 schools by August 15, and classroom cell phone policies must go into effect by the end of the school year. The governor’s directive cites research from the American Psychological Association that suggests children who use social media for more than three hours a day are at 100% higher risk for mental health problems.
According to the directive, students are now using their mobile phones to access social media, far exceeding the psychological safety standards. Another benefit of restricting mobile phone use in the classroom is that it improves concentration. Another study showed that students who use mobile phones during class are distracted and less effective at learning, which results in lower grades.
Virginia is spending $500,000 on the measure, some of which will go toward mental health initiatives and developing and disseminating best practices for limiting cellphone use in classrooms.
Public input will be sought through listening sessions to develop age-appropriate policies and procedures, with final guidelines expected to be released by Sept. 16 and implemented by Jan. 1, 2025.
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Daniel has been an avid tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010 and has been passionate about mobile technology since the days of Windows Mobile. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software and carrier networks, with a keen interest in digital health, automotive connectivity and the future of 5G. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys traveling, reading, exploring new tech innovations and pondering the implications of ethics and privacy in our digital future.
