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Massachusetts AG introduces act that will restrict access to cell phones, personal electronic devices for students; social media companies to implement procedures

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BOSTON – As part of her legislative agenda, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, alongside Senator Julian Cyr, Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch and Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian have introduced the STUDY Act, SD654/HD3070 An Act promoting Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education for Youth. The bill seeks to implement a “bell-to-bell” restriction on access to cell phones and personal electronic devices during school hours to improve the overall learning environment and school culture. It also proposes standards for social media companies.  

“The STUDY Act puts students and their mental health first. By restricting cellphones during the school day and raising the bar for social media companies, we are taking bold steps to create learning environments free from distraction and a digital landscape that prioritizes the well-being of our youth. This bill is a commitment to both education and mental health for our young people, ensuring they have the tools to succeed without unnecessary harm,” said AG Campbell.  

As a growing number of schools adopt policies to restrict cell phone use during the school day, the STUDY Act would require all public schools to have formal policies regarding the use of cell phones, tablets, and other personal electronic devices on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities. Each policy must prevent students from physically accessing their personal electronic devices during school hours. Exemptions to the policy would be provided in certain circumstances, such as to accommodate a student’s needs as provided by their individualized education program or health plan. 

The STUDY Act also requires schools to have a policy educating students about the social, emotional and physical harms of social media use. Research, including evidence described by the U.S. Surgeon General, has shown the negative impact of social media use on mental health. For example, after one hour of social media use per day, adolescent mental health steeply declines and decreases in happiness and self-esteem occur, alongside increases in self-harm, depression and behavioral changes. 

Campbel’s Office states that phone use in schools can lead to distractions in learning, shortened attention span, increased anxiety, negative peer interactions and increases in cyberbullying, harassment and hate incidents. In fact, 72% of high school teachers cite cell phone use as a major problem in classrooms. 

The bill also calls on social media companies to implement procedures including but not limited to:  

  • Age verification system to determine whether a user meets age requirements under law and keep any information about a user’s age confidential from third-party use  
  • Default settings for a minor user to ensure privacy and limit prolonged engagement by disabling features like notifications between certain hours, autoplay, and continuous scrolling 
  • Features for a user to flag unwanted or harmful content and regular surveys for the user to indicate to the company that they don’t want this type of content on their feed 
  • Regular warnings from social media platforms to the user on the negative effects of social media use on social, emotional and physical health 

The STUDY Act was drafted with input from members of AG Campbell’s Youth Council.

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