(Boston 7/31/2025) Today, the Massachusetts State Senate passed legislation to limit students’ access to personal electronic devices, including cell phones, during the entire school day. The final legislation was influenced by several similar policies introduced by Senators this session including a bill introduced by Senator John C. Velis. Through careful work alongside subject knowledge experts, Senate Velis received praise for his instrumental work in strengthening the final policy passed by the Senate. The legislation, S2561 An Act To Promote Student Learning And Mental Health, would require local districts to develop policies that prohibits access and possession of personal electronic devices during school hours by the 2026-2027 school year. The legislation ensures that districts receive support and guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and also provides exceptions for students with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs). The legislation also requires that school policies ensure that parents and students can contact one another if requested during the school day.
“We are so grateful for Senator Velis’s leadership, and we commend Senator Velis, the Senate Ways and Means committee, and the hardworking staff of the Senate for making a bell-to-bell policy work for the Commonwealth’s students, teachers, and families,” shared Casey Mock, Senior Director of Policy for The Anxious Generation. “We look forward to Massachusetts joining 19 other states in adopting a strong statewide policy.”
“The passage of this bill means that every Massachusetts public school student will get the enormous benefit of a 6-to-7-hour break, each school day, from cellphones and other personal electronic devices. This is a huge victory for students’ mental health, focus, and real world connection,” shared Debra Mann Schmill, President of Becca Schmill Foundation. “It is also
a huge victory for teachers and school administrators. I cannot thank Senator Velis enough, first for working with the Becca Schmill Foundation on one of the 13 bills introduced this session on this topic, but also for fighting so hard to make sure that the bill that did pass would be most beneficial for Massachusetts students.”
“We have a serious five-alarm fire on our hands. Our kids are distracted from their education, their social development is being hindered, and they are struggling with their mental health like we’ve never seen before. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when you look at data related to lower academic scores or increasing diagnosis of anxiety, that the trends drastically changed for the worse right around 2012 when smart phones became widely accessible,” shared Senator Velis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “When you bring up the idea of limiting a kids access to their cell phone, they are usually incredibly defensive and outraged, and in many respects, their reaction doesn’t look that much different from telling someone in the throes of addiction that they are being sent to rehab. The very least we can do for their well-being and to support our incredible educators is restrict the use of cellphones during school hours.”
With the legislation having been passed by the Senate, it now goes to the House of Representatives for their consideration.
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