HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania could soon join 20 other states in requiring school districts to enact what’s become known as the “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban in school buildings, as a bill is headed to the state House after passing the Senate 46-1.
The bipartisan bill would set a statewide standard of no cellphone use during the school day.
Many school districts already prohibit phones during instructional time, though supporters of the bill said the ban needed to be extended to lunch, recess, homeroom, or in the halls between classes, as that’s when kids learn how to interact with those around them.
“Those soft skills are just as important as knowing how to do math and read, and our employers are increasingly raising the alarm that the frightening lack of these social skills is causing major issues in the workforce,” said Republican State Sen. Devlin Robinson.
The bill’s co-sponsor, Bucks County Democratic state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, said phones were preventing students from learning those skills, including how to navigate conflicts with others.
“If they're glued to their phone the entire time and they're living in virtual reality, that doesn't happen,” he said, adding that while many adults are also addicted to their phones, paying attention to their effects on children was a priority.
“They're growing up with it. They don't have that base that we had when it wasn't there.”
Santarsiero cited the book “The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt, saying it opened his eyes by pinning a decline in adolescent mental health to cellphone and social media addiction.
While the book has critics who have called it an over-simplification of the latest moral hazard, Santarsiero said phones are clearly addicting and as kids are growing up with the technology, they’re learning to exist in a virtual world.
The policy would have exceptions, including individualized education plans that rely on a smartphone for communication, or an English as a second language (ESL) student who needs it for translations.
The bill not only has bipartisan support in the state legislature, but Gov. Josh Shapiro listed it as a priority in his budget address, pledging to sign it as soon as it gets to his desk.