BOSTON — Lawmakers are advancing a proposal to ban the use of cellphones and other electronic gadgets in public schools in response to rising concerns they are distracting from classroom lessons and contributing to teen mental health issues.
The legislation, which passed the Senate’s Education Committee on Tuesday with a 6-0 vote, would require the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidance to school districts on how to implement a bell-to-bell ban. It would require schools to enact these bans by the 2026-27 school year.
Exceptions would be made for medical necessity, emergencies, educational purposes, with faculty permission, and other reasons. The policies must include an option for parents to contact their students during the school day, according to the proposal. Local school committees would be required to approve the rules.
The Senate’s proposal still faces a long slog through the legislative process on Beacon Hill. It must be approved by the Senate Ways and Means Committee before going before the full Senate for a vote. It’s not yet clear if the House will take up the measure.
Lawmakers backing the plan point to a growing body of scientific research drawing connections between rising levels of childhood depression and other mental health concerns and their use of phones and social media.
In a joint statement, Senate President Karen Spilka and Education Committee Chairman Sen. Jason Lewis called cellphones “one of the most distracting devices ever created.” They said the proposal would improve student outcomes by removing such devices from the classroom.
“Overwhelming evidence shows us that cellphones are major barriers to student growth and achievement in the classroom, and they make it harder for our talented educators to teach,” the lawmakers said. “As legislators, neighbors, and parents, it is incumbent upon us to ensure classrooms are places where young people focus, learn, and thrive.”
Gov. Maura Healey is among top Massachusetts Democrats who support a statewide ban of cellphones in classrooms, citing rising behavioral health concerns among teens.
“I think it has a really negative effect on kids’ mental health,” Healey told reporters recently. “It’s distracting and it takes away from the important learning process and actual socialization process.”
Attorney General Andrea Campbell has also urged lawmakers to approve such a ban during the current two-year session, calling it “a commitment to young people’s education and their mental health.”
Campbell is among a bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general suing Meta and other social media outlets, alleging features on Facebook and Instagram are addictive and aimed at kids and teens.
“Recognizing that social media companies make billions of dollars off our young people that are using their product, we feel it is absolutely necessary to keep our young people safe,” she said in recent testimony on proposed legislation. “We must improve learning environments, to ensure that our schools are places of focus in intellectual, social and emotional growth for our kids.”
If the legislation is approved, Massachusetts would join a growing number of states — including New Hampshire, California, Florida and New York — to ban or restrict cellphones in schools, part of a broader effort to remove classroom distractions for students as concerns about their mental health mount.
At least 80% of Massachusetts school districts already have some type of cellphone restrictions in place, according to the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.