The legislation, teed up for a Thursday 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. Those bans would be required to be approved before the 2026-27 school year.
Senate President Karen Spilka points 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.
“There is mounting evidence that cell phone usage among students during the school day is strongly detrimental, for a number of reasons,” the Ashland Democrat told reporters at a Wednesday briefing on the legislation. “We need to ensure classrooms are places where young people focus, learn, and thrive.”
Under the proposal, the policies must include an option for parents to contact their students during the school day. Exemptions would be made for medical necessity, emergencies, educational purposes, with faculty permission and other reasons.
Local school committees of governing boards would be required to approve the new restrictions.
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 percent of Massachusetts school districts already have some type of cellphone restrictions in place, according to the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
Gov. Maura Healey is among top Massachusetts Democrats who support a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, citing rising behavioral health concerns among teens.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell, a co-sponsor of the legislation, 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.
Social media companies are increasingly being blamed for the rising rates of depression, suicide and other mental health issues among youth nationally.
In response, states and local governments are increasingly considering legislation and legal action to crack down on social media use.
Parent groups, including Parents Collective Inc. and Phone Free Action, are pressuring states and the federal government to approve the bans.
“While arguments for local control in education are generally compelling, cell phones pose unique problems,” the advocates wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “Research is abundant and clear. Cell phones in schools pose serious threats to our kids’ capacities to learn, mental health, and social development.”
© 2025 The Salem News (Beverly, Mass.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
