Starting this fall, the Phone Free School Act in California went into effect, with the goal of reducing smartphone use in school and its consequential distractions. Earlier this year, California governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3216 enacting the Phone Free School Act to begin limiting the time students spend on their smartphones during school hours. The legislation seeks to fully restrict phones by July 2026, giving schools around a year to implement this restriction.
The new law requires all schools in California to implement phone restrictive policies like phone pockets, which Los Gatos High School uses, and Yondr pouches. Phone pockets are strung out posters with pockets available for students to put their phones in while Yondr Cases are individual pouches only openable with a magnetic device.
At Los Gatos High School, the policy has already begun. In the 2024-25 school year, teachers had flexibility in deciding their own class’s cell phone policy. But this year, the school mandated students to turn in their cell phones at the start of class and collect them at the end. Students must stay off their phones during instructional time, with the exception of passing periods, break, and lunch…