On Sept. 23, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring schools to limit or prohibit phone usage on campuses by July 2026. The bill was passed through the state legislature in August as a result of increasing evidence showing that phones can be detrimental to students’ academic performance and mental health.
The San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees met on Sept. 11 to discuss how the district will move forward. The meeting began with a presentation highlighting the absence of phones in schools is shown to increase academic performance, engagement and social interaction among students.
“When you ban phones, you get more face-to-face interaction with students,” said Brian Simmons, SMUHSD Director of Curriculum and Assessment, at the meeting. “But there are concerns about limiting digital literacy and learning opportunities.”
The presentation was followed by a discussion with Principal Yvonne Shiu of San Mateo High School who spoke about their use of Yondr pouches, a tool that allows students to keep possession of their phones while not being able to access them.
“During non-instructional times, like brunch and lunch, students are Yondred, so … [they] are talking to each other,” Shiu said at the meeting. “I remember a time when students … would be sitting in a circle,
and they’re texting each other … instead of actually speaking.”
Many teachers appreciate Yondr pouches because they also relieve them of having to police students’ phones.
“If we can have [a] policy that eliminates [phones], it also eliminates me from being the person who has to manage that,” said math teacher Chelsea Watson.
Many students are against the idea of implementing Yondr pouches at Aragon. Some students have experienced Yondr pouches and report that they do not ameliorate the issue of phone overuse.
“When phones were banned, people used them more because they felt this need to rebel,” said freshman Leah Magliulo. “Once they did get them back at the end of the day, they felt the need to make up for that
lost time, so they were on their phones even more.”
Many students even found ways to open their Yondr pouches without the teacher’s magnet.
“If people want to use their phone, they’re gonna find a way around it,” said freshman Sienna Kaiser. “If you just bang [the Yondr pouches] against some metal really hard, they’ll come unlocked.”
Some Aragon teachers have already introduced hanging phone holders in their classrooms, and some say that those are enough.
“We already have those [pouches] that teachers hang on the walls,” said sophomore Aaron Lee. “Those work pretty well, [and] I’d say that [finding] a different kind of pouch would be a waste of school funding.”
Despite disagreements over how to limit phone usage in schools, many agree that something needs to change.
“What did we do when we knew that tobacco harmed us?” said SMUHSD Board Trustee Jennifer Jacobson. “We put limits on it … When we know something’s addictive and harmful, especially for minors, we need to put limits on it.”
The SMUHSD board of trustees has decided to gauge the community’s opinion on this topic by including related questions in the annual fall Panorama survey and communicating with student leadership groups
and parent organizations. In 2025, they will discuss as a group and come up with a new phone policy for the district.
“As a board, we’re all in agreement and understand that there needs to be limits during class time,” Jacobson said. “The big question is, do we limit them during passing periods and lunch … What will [probably] happen is … we’ll have a minimum limit that’s district-wide, and then sites can take that further if they want to.”
The board is expected to make a decision regarding the new policy in the spring of 2025.
