A ban on cellphones and other devices in classrooms passed by the nation's second-largest school district began Tuesday as students in Los Angeles returned after an extended Presidents' Day holiday weekend.

The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District in June passed a resolution by a 5-2 vote calling for a prohibition on students using cellphones and social media throughout the school day, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported. The resolution took effect Tuesday.

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the LAUSD's enrollment of 435,958 in the fall of 2021 was second behind New York (859,514) among U.S. school districts.

Board member Nick Melvoin co-sponsored the resolution with Board President Jackie Goldberg and fellow board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin. The resolution cited research indicating the impacts of excessive cellphone use associated with increased stress, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, feelings of aggression, and suicidal thoughts in adolescents, according to KABC.

"Cellphone use in schools has gotten out of control," Goldberg said in a June news release announcing the ban. "It's gotten to the point that students don't talk face-to-face but instead text one another when they're sitting right next to each other!

"I joined forces with Board Members Melvoin and Ortiz Franklin to sponsor this resolution because research tells us what we already know: Excessive cellphone use impacts students' mental health and academic performance. It's time to update our policy and make it a district-wide responsibility."

The resolution prohibits the use of cellphones, smartwatches, AirPods, and earbuds during school hours, The Center Square reported. Students are required to keep their phones off and store them in bags or backpacks. Exceptions are allowed for medical needs, students with disabilities and emergencies.

Individual campuses can choose to have the phones locked up in special containers purchased by the district or instruct students to store them in their backpacks. Smart glasses are also included in the ban, according to KABC.

Three months after the district passed the resolution, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bipartisan legislation to require every school district, charter school, and county office of education to develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026.

"We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues – but we have the power to intervene," Newsom said in a Sept. 23 news release. "This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they're in school."

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