Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has asked state educators and community leaders to remove cellphones from the classroom by creating “a collaborative and cohesive (local education agency)-wide policy framework.” The governor’s office sent letters making the request to the Utah State Board of Education, school and district leaders across the state, as well as community council members, on Jan. 4.

In the letter to the state school board, which was provided to the Standard-Examiner along with the other letters by the governor’s office, Cox asked that health and library media standards be updated to recognize “the connection between negative mental health outcomes and social media use.”

Representatives from Ogden, Weber and Davis school districts all told the Standard-Examiner that they share many of the governor’s concerns about potential problems in the classroom and issues of mental health with students.

It was noted that Weber School District has appropriate use policies for cellphones in place, and schools within the Ogden School District have experimented with different forms of regulation, too.

However, some school district representatives also expressed a level of concern about blanket solutions and districtwide policies for phones at school. Moreover, examples were given of smartphones being used by teachers as educational tools in the classroom for lessons and school-related interactions with students.

“There is a time and place when a cellphone could be a benefit to learning,” said Lane Findlay, spokesman for Weber School District. “On the flip side, they can also cause distractions and other issues that we see with bullying and those kinds of concerns that come up.”

Delta High School in Millard School District and Evergreen Junior High in Granite School District were namechecked in the governor’s letters as institutions where new policies prohibiting the use of cellphones during the school day have resulted in positive changes to the learning experience for students and educators alike.

Evergreen Junior High Principal Ryan Shaw was quoted in the letters saying that banning phones altogether was “so much easier” than other approaches, adding, “Learning has improved, and our scores reflect that. Bullying and fighting have decreased. The students connect with each other in a more meaningful way.”

The potential dangers of social media use for young people has been a key issue for Cox. In March 2023, the governor signed two bills limiting social media use into law.

One requires social media companies to verify that users in the state are either at least 18 years old or have their parents’ permission to open new accounts. The other prohibits social media companies from using designs or features that could cause minors to become addicted to their platforms. Those laws are set to take effect March 1.

A trade group representing TikTok, Meta and X filed suit against the state in December over the new, restrictive social media policies.

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