California will likely soon become the fifth state in the nation to ban students from using smartphones in schools, though the full ban likely would not go into effect until the 2026-27 school year.

Back in 2019, San Mateo High School became the largest school in the country to ban students from using smartphones during the school day. The idea has caught on, as the states of Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, and South Carolina have since enacted similar bans statewide. And now California is poised to join them, as KGO reports Assemblymember Josh Hoover’s Phone-Free Schools Act passed both houses of the California legislature as of this week.  

The bill would still need Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature to become law. But Newsom has already called for smartphone bans in classrooms, so it is widely expected he will sign the bill.

The ban does not go into effect right away. The proposed law gives school districts until July 2026 to come up with their own individual policies to ban or limit phone use by students during class hours. So, once signed by Newsom, the ban would presumably go into effect for the 2026-27 school year, but districts can implement the ban earlier if they choose.

Students’ phones could be kept in a locker, or in some sort of specialized restrictive pouch, and this is up to individual districts to decide. And there are exceptions in the law for medical situations or emergencies.

Yet here in San Francisco, there are already similar rules in place. SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick told the Examiner this month that “Per our current policy, mobile communication devices must be turned off and put away during class time and passing periods, except in certain circumstances such as health and safety reasons or if the device is being used as part of an instructional activity.”

Related: San Mateo High Forces Students To Lock Up Phones [SFist]

Image: Ordinary kids sitting with mobile devices in street (Getty Images)