Despite the contentious presidential election season, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) remains committed to governing with common sense and has recently issued detailed guidance on implementing a cellphone ban in Virginia schools. The ban, announced in July, aims to address the growing concerns about the impact of cellphone use on adolescents’ mental health and chronic health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Youngkin’s guidance emphasizes the need for a “bell-to-bell” cellphone-free education environment, where students are required to keep their phones off and stored away during the entire school day.
The guidance is based on research showing that children receive over 200 notifications per day on their smartphones, and two-thirds of US students report being distracted by digital devices. Youngkin argues that this comprehensive approach is necessary to allow students to develop face-to-face conversation skills and critical in-person communication skills during unstructured school hours.
While some parents have expressed concerns about being able to reach their children during school emergencies, Youngkin has emphasized the importance of bringing back resource officers to schools and establishing emergency response plans that include timely communication with parents.
Despite these concerns, a recent poll conducted by the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government found that 69% of Virginia parents support a cellphone-free education, including restrictions during lunch and breaks between classes. This overwhelming majority suggests that Youngkin’s approach is in line with the views of most parents.
The data on the impact of cellphone use on students is alarming. A 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 60% of teenage girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, and nearly one-third of them had considered suicide. Other research has shown that teenage depression doubled between 2011 and 2019, and emergency room admissions quadrupled between 2010 and 2021 among girls aged 10-14.
The link between social media use and deteriorating teen mental health is strong, with studies showing that frequent users of social media applications are more likely to be depressed. Youngkin’s cellphone ban is a step in the right direction, and it is essential that Virginia schools and other states follow suit.
