Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has spearheaded a bill that would require all public schools to create a formal policy regarding the use of cell phones, tablets, and other personal electronic devices during the school day.
The bill, known as the STUDY (Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education for Youth) Act, would prohibit access to a personal electronic device by students and require each school district to educate students on the social, emotional, and physical risks of social media use.
There would be exemptions to the policy to accommodate a student’s needs for an individualized education program (IEP) and in case of emergencies.
In addition, the STUDY Act would seek to hold social media companies accountable for the harmful and pernicious influences that they have on our children. The bill calls on the companies to implement an age verification system; to keep any information about a user’s age confidential from third-parties; to provide default settings for a minor user to ensure privacy and limit prolonged engagement; and to add features for a user to flag unwanted or harmful content.
Almost three-quarters of high school teachers cite cell phone use as a major problem in their classrooms. Phone use during the school day serves no educational purpose and only increases the risks of cyber-bullying, harassment, and hate incidents.
In short, the STUDY Act seeks to implement a “bell-to-bell” restriction on access to cell phones and personal electronic devices during school hours in order to improve the overall learning environment and school culture.
We urge all of our representatives in the state legislature to get behind this bill and pass it in time in order to have it on Governor Healey’s desk for her signature before the start of the new school year.