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Local schools across the Midpeninsula are turning classrooms into phone-free zones over growing concerns about social media and cell phone addictions that can lead to harmful mental health impacts on students.
In 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act, requiring schools to implement a policy to limit or prohibit the use of smartphones during instruction by July 2026. As the deadline approaches, Menlo Park City School District recently adopted a policy and Sequoia Union High School District is set to adopt a policy for the next school year.
Neighboring school districts, including Portola Valley, Woodside, Ravenswood and Las Lomitas, have already implemented their own phone-free policies.
High schools plan for partial phone ban
Sequoia Union High School District is expected to adopt a partial ban by the end of the month. During a June 10 board meeting, the Board of Trustees agreed on a proposed policy that would only ban cell phones during instructional periods for the 2026-27 school year, rather than a bell-to-bell, which would prohibit phone use during lunch and passing periods.
Despite a district-wide survey showing that a majority of parents and students prefer some access to cell phones during school hours, multiple people spoke at the recent board meeting opposing the partial ban.
Cheryl Westmont, co-chair of the Peninsula chapter of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), said the district’s survey results were not conclusive and shared her concerns about the rise in anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation caused by excessive smartphone use.
According to a board presentation in May, only 3.5% of the district’s parents responded to the survey. A little over 37% of survey respondents said they think the existing policy is effective and about 31% said it needs improvement.
A follow-up survey of about 1,500 parents and 1,700 students found support for restricting phone use only during instruction. Staff, however, favor banning phones for the full school day,
Trustee Maria Cruz said she doesn’t support an all-out ban because students won’t be able to contact their family members during emergencies. The policy also lacks details about consequences for using phones during school hours, she added.
“There’s a lot of logistics that we have to think about before we go to the all-day ban for kids. I’m not saying kids are not addicted, I think they are, but some kids also utilize them as tools,” Cruz said.
Dr. Elizabeth Nadiv, a pediatrician and mother of a rising freshman at Carlmont High School, urged the board to adopt a full cell phone restriction. She cited scientific reports showing reduced attention and cognitive performance from just the presence of a phone, even if it’s powered off and stored in a pocket or a backpack. Nadiv said research shows that the more students think about their phones, the lower their recall accuracy and academic performance.
“An instruction-only ban that leaves phones accessible during passing periods and lunch guarantees this cognitive drain is persistent through the entire school day,” Nadiv said.
Dr. Jacob Ballon, a Stanford University psychiatrist, added that studies have shown “adolescents at school who are not in possession of their phone have increased social interaction.”
While a handful of parents attempted to encourage the board to implement a full phone ban, Associate Superintendent Bonnie Hansen continued to support the district staff’s recommendation for a partial ban. She explained that the times between classes are short. Lunch is 30 minutes and passing periods are just five minutes.
Although the district has not adopted an official policy, individual campuses such as Woodside High School have had cell phone-limiting rules since 2024. The school requires students to leave their phones in “pockets” during class but they are allowed to access them during brunch and lunch.
Trustee Sathvik Nori and Mary Beth Thompson were the only board members to support a bell-to-bell ban. Thompson said she thinks a full ban would help students learn how to self-regulate, while a partial restriction would allow them to feed into the addiction during passing periods and lunch.
“Bell-to-bell is that scaffold that actually allows students to experience what it’s like to work on these social skills that have really been lacking,” she said.
When the board meets on June 17 to take a final vote on the cell phone policy, it will include a couple of modifications: another parent survey will be conducted in the fall and the board will revisit the policy in December.
Menlo Park students to keep mobile devices out of sight
Menlo Park City School District’s school board voted unanimously to approve its phone-free policy at its June 4 meeting. The district will add signage throughout its campuses that reads, “Cell phones OFF, Learning ON. Student devices must be off and away, all day.”
MPCSD’s policy extends to smartwatches and other wearable communication devices.
The policy will apply to all students throughout school hours and during school-sponsored events such as field trips and dances, according to the district.
During a school board presentation in May, survey results from Hillview Middle School staff showed that 79% reported phones were harmful to school safety, 84% saw phones as interfering with peer interactions and 81% said that mobile devices were somewhat distracting.
The district’s survey also reported that 71% of its staff across all campuses were consistently enforcing the no-phone rule. Data showed that middle school staffers have more difficulties with enforcement.
With a specific board policy on prohibiting mobile devices, the district hopes to be able “to ease the burden of enforcement at Hillview and district-wide,” according to the May presentation.
MPCSD staff expect a “seamless transition” to the newly implemented policy as various versions of the no-phone rule have already been in place in student handbooks since 2014.
Other districts, such as Las Lomitas Elementary School District, have always had a phone-free policy, said Superintendent Erik Burmeister. “‘Off and away, bell to bell’ is essentially the standard, he added.
The district recently adapted the language of its phone policy to adhere to state requirements on June 10.
Ravenswood City School District implemented a new mobile device policy at the start of the 2025-26 school year, prohibiting the use of cell phones, smartwatches and other social devices during school hours, extracurriculars and afterschool programs. The district also offered “safe phones” with basic features and strict limits at little to no cost for families.
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