Georgia is a step closer to the ban on cell phones in schools

Georgia is a step closer to adopting regulations that might ban cell phones in schools, reports Associated Press. On Tuesday, March 25, the State Senate approved the bill 340 (“Act on freezing education”) with voting 54-2.

If it is signed by Governor Brian Kemp, mobile phones could be banned in classes K-8, in addition to to all personal electronic devices able to “sending, receiving or accessing communication, data or media.” Thus, almost every device with wireless communication, web access, messages, video recording, games, access to social media or data transmission.

“This bill is not just about scientists. It’s about the well-being of students,” said Senator Jason Anavitarte (R), who presented Billduring the debate. “Studies combine excessive use of the phone with mental health problems, reduced social skills and an increase in intimidation. We want students to be involved in school, meet friends during lunch and focus in class.”

Currently, nine states have introduced bans on cell phones in schools. Others run pilot programs or offer similar regulations. Georgia didn’t allocate any funds to implement such programs. Some states, comparable to the latest Mexico, put $ 10 million to the side to help schools shopping protected phone bags and other resources obligatory to implement telephone bans.

Some parents usually are not told for such a ban, citing the need Contact their children in emergency. School shootings are a major problem. In 2024, there have been 83 documented school shootings, on average almost two incidents a week during the standard 180-day school 12 months.

“What if this phone could save lives in an active situation?” Senator Rasaan Kemp asked, who supports the ban. “These are the real fears of the parent that we all usually think about. What if this phone is the last opportunity for my child to communicate with me?”

While the argument is Limiting the use of a cell phone You can improve the educational capabilities of scholars are widely supported, other debates about this problem are more controversial.

Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He proposed a similar ban, but his reasoning aroused eyebrows. Kennedy, the Secretary for Health and Human Services, in an interview, said that the use of cell phones in children “causes electromagnetic radiation, which has been shown to cause neurological damage to children when it is around them all day, and causes cell damage and even cancer.”

However, neither the National Cancer Institute nor the World Health Organization has found credible evidence to support these claims, despite the years of research, According to NBC News.