New law requires Colorado schools to adopt, implement student cellphone policies

Colorado school districts have their own homework thanks to a law requiring districts to adopt cellphone policies.

Gov. Jared Polis signed the new law Thursday, which gives districts until 2026 to come up with policies on when kids can use cellphones in schools.

Lawmakers expressed concerns over the prevalence of cellphone use in schools, stating that research has shown student distraction and cyberbullying increase with more cellphone use during the day. They also said it causes negative effects on students' academic performance and mental health.

"A longitudinal cohort study of American adolescents found that adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media had double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of anxiety and depression," the bill states. "And a majority of parents and legal guardians of adolescents report that they are worried that their child's use of social media could lead to poor mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem; harassment or bullying; social and peer pressure; and exposure to explicit content."

House Bill 1135, which passed with bipartisan support, requires the policies to describe the prohibitions and any exceptions that may be included.  The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, each institute charter school, district charter school, and a local board of education for its schools that are not district or charter schools must adopt and implement their policies by July 1, 2026.