Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer announced today two actions her office is taking to help school administrators and parents keep students focused on their studies, and protect their mental health. The first: a policy for County of San Diego mental health experts to help school districts develop plans to curb cell phone usage in schools; The second: a partnership with a non-profit that will provide lockable mobile phone pouches, cell phone lockers or mobile phone pocket holders to middle and high schools wanting to pilot a program to limit cell phone usage in their classrooms. 

A recent study by Common Sense Media found that 97% of teenagers use cell phones during the school day.  In 2023, a study revealed that students received an average of 237 notifications per day, many occurring during school hours.  And, one third of K-12 public school teachers recently reported that smartphones are a major problem for students in their classrooms. 

The problem has become so prevalent that the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association issued health advisories, and California Governor Gavin Newsom this month urged all school districts across the state to restrict cell phone usage during the school day. 

“I want our County to help school administrators and parents keep students focused on their studies, and protect their mental health,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “School is hard enough without the distraction caused by a phone pinging or vibrating; and the trauma caused by cyberbullying. The statistics demonstrate the mental health of our kids is being impacted when they are tethered to their cell phones. I want our County to help get our experts involved.”  

Parents and administrators agree cell phones affect the ability of youth to learn because they create distractions.

Grants to Schools for Mobile Phone Pouches 

In District 3, Supervisor Lawson-Remer has partnered with the non-profit Campana Studios which works with schools. They have received a $100,000 County of San Diego grant to support some District 3 middle and high schools that are interested in piloting a program that restricts student cell phone usage during the school day.

“As an organization committed to generating opportunities for creative expression in San Diego County, we see that an over-dependence on cell phones and excessive screen time can stifle creativity in our K-12 students,” said Jay Bell, Founder of Campana Studios, a grassroots nonprofit based in District 3.  “We view this program as an opportunity to continue our work with local schools to foster student’s imagination and to set the stage for our youth to develop better connections with the curriculum, their classmates, teacher and our community.  We are here to be of service to all school who are interested in starting a pilot program.”

The Supervisor’s Office will contact the 35 middle and high schools in District 3 to ensure they are aware of the available funds and provide a sign-up link to help make the connection to the non-profit. Specifics on if schools choose to use lockable mobile phone pouches, cell phone lockers or mobile phone pocket holders will be determined by the school and non-profit. Participation will be on a first come, first serve basis. 

The schools in her district that are eligible for the funds include:

August 27 Vote for County to Support Schools 

The policy Supervisor Lawson-Remer is requesting her colleague's support will build on the pilot program, and encourage the County of San Diego to do everything within its ability to collaborate directly with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) to explore ways the County can leverage its extensive resources to support schools and school districts in their efforts to develop and implement solutions that address the unrestricted use of smartphones and the growing youth mental health crisis.

The recommendations the Board of Supervisors will vote on are as follows:

1. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to collaborate with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) to explore ways the County can support schools and school districts in their efforts to develop and implement solutions to address the unrestricted use of smartphones during school instruction hours.  The exploration should include a range of options to limit smartphone access, distractions and cyberbullying; training and other ongoing support strategies for teachers and staff administering these options; resources for students and parents to encourage a phone-free school culture and environment, and implementation support as needed and return to the Board by March 31, 2025 with a progress report on the collaboration and status update on the County’s plan(s) to provide support to the SDCOE including any fiscal impact(s) associated with the plan(s). 
   

2. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to explore opportunities to leverage existing work within the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency to support local school district School Wellness Policies with best practices to address youth mental health and smartphone usage.
   

3. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to leverage the Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (OEPA) to provide technical support, as needed, to the SDCOE in any efforts to evaluate the identified solutions and their impact on student behavior (i.e. discipline, bullying/harassment), social connectedness, mental health outcomes, and academic performance.

To read the entire policy, click here.