Cellphones could go dark in Michigan schools

Two new Michigan House bills would restrict students’ use of cellphones and social media in schools.

Republican Reps. Mark Tisdel, of Rochester Hills, Donni Steele of Orion Township, and Tom Kuhn of Troy introduced House bills 5920 and 5921 in September.

HB 5920 would require parental consent and age verification when minors sign up for social media services.

HB 5921 establishes regulations on phone use, with limits depending on the student’s grade.

Minors can’t consent to contracts, and that restriction should apply to setting up a social media account, Tisdel told Michigan Capitol Confidential in a phone interview.

For minors, phones provide “this constant distraction and demand that your attention be given to this artificial, online world that you need to compare yourself to,” Tisdel said.

A University of Michigan Medicine study of 203 tweens and teens found that the average teen received about 240 application notifications daily. One-fourth of those arrived during school hours.

Those dings and pop-ups take attention away from schoolwork and real life, Tisdel said.

Under the legislation, social media companies must supply a parent or guardian with a way to access the minor’s account to see posts the minor makes, as well as messages sent to or from the minor.

HB 5920 is currently before the Health Policy Committee.

HB 5921 would require school districts to establish regulations on cellphone use. The bill would prohibit all students in kindergarten through fifth grade from possessing a wireless communications device on school grounds. Students in grades six through eight would be barred from using a phone on school grounds during instructional time, lunch, recess and at other times. Students in grades nine through twelve would have to stay off their phones during instructional time.

The bills would reduce distractions, prevent cyberbullying, and keep students from using class time to make videos of fights to share on social media, according to Tisdel.

“Let’s not worry if a kid can take their cellphone to class,” Tisdel said. “What if we worry about whether they can read?”

Meta Platforms, Inc., parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, declined to comment on these specific bills but supports federal legislation that would require app stores to get parental approval when people under 16 download apps, Rachel Holland, who represents Meta in regulatory public affairs, told CapCon.

In mid-September, Meta also released Instagram Teen accounts that restrict users from contacting teen account holders, limit the content teenagers see, and provide other safety protections, Holland said in an email.

Northville Public Schools and the Novi Community School District have restricted cellphone use during class in recent years.

Novi Community School District is device-free in K-8 buildings.

“The Novi Community School District believes that in order to give students the best chance to succeed, they need to learn in an environment as free from distraction as possible,” according to the district’s personal electronic device use procedures. “Attention, engagement, and participation are key factors to helping students achieve in the classroom both academically and socially.”

HB 5921 has been referred to the Education Committee.

As of September 2024, seven states have passed statewide restrictions on phones in schools, according to the health policy research firm KFF.