
CV NEWS FEED // Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order on July 9 instructing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to create guidance for public school divisions to implement local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free classrooms.
Citing the growing evidence of the alarming impact social media and cell phone use has on education and youth mental health, Executive Order 33 directs VDOE to engage with parents, students, teachers, and administrators to work together to develop policies for age-appropriate restrictions on cell phone use during classroom time, as well as protocols for parents to contact their children in emergencies.
The Executive Order mandates that VDOE publish their draft guidance by August 15. Following stakeholder feedback, VDOE will release final guidance in September, enabling local school divisions to implement cell phone-free education policies and procedures by January 1, 2025.
Additionally, Youngkin announced that the VDOE and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) will allocate a combined $500,000 from existing funds to support the implementation of this initiative.
In a press release on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official website, Youngkin explained that the executive order has a two-fold goal: to protect students’ health and safety by reducing their exposure to addictive cell phones and social media and to eliminate distractions in the classroom.
According to Youngkin, the order also “kicks off the robust conversations among parents, students, teachers, and school and community leaders necessary to design and implement these policies and procedures at the local level.”
The press release emphasized the importance of implementing cell phone-free education in Virginia’s K-12 public schools, pointing to studies indicating daily social media use exceeding three hours doubles adolescents’ risk of youth chronic health conditions such as depression and anxiety, alongside notable increases in depression and suicide rates since 2010.
CatholicVote highlighted two studies that support emerging data about the dangers of addictive apps and youth cell phone use, including a psychologist’s warning that smartphones have caused a “rewiring” of an entire generation’s childhood, and a recent study that indicated 75% of teens feel more peaceful and happy when separated from their phones.
“The data is clear,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera. “It is time for Virginians to come together to address the damage of social media and screens to healthy childhoods.”
Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet Kelly emphasized that with increasing knowledge, it is evident that excessive screen time, especially on addictive apps, negatively impacts children’s physical and mental health. She pointed to a recent advisory from the Surgeon General urging tech companies to implement warning labels on social media platforms.
“Too many childhoods have ended because of the wild west of addictive apps,” Kelly stated. “It is time we work together to bring childhood back.”
