By Erik Edoff, MEA Senior Executive Director

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is signing bipartisan legislation this morning that bans smartphone use among K-12 students during instructional time. This has been a top priority for Michigan Education Association members working in schools across the state, and it’s proof that lawmakers can make good things happen when they set aside partisanship and work toward a goal.

State leaders should build on this momentum and identify other areas of agreement and potential collaboration. Our students, educators, and schools face significant challenges that require bipartisan solutions — particularly when it comes to our kids’ online safety.

A bill package introduced in the Senate would take this work further to protect kids from consequences of unfettered social media and artificial intelligence usage, including addressing concerns about data privacy, online targeting, and algorithm-driven social media addiction.

In the meantime, the new smartphone law is a significant step in the right direction to help both our students’ mental health and academic performance.

Research shows the deep connection between teens’ mental health struggles and social media use. In a world of distractions, where self-worth can seem regulated by social media algorithms, this law moves Michigan students and classrooms forward.

Face-to-face conversations between and among students and their educators make for deeper connections and learning — and reduce online bullying and judgment that undercuts that progress.

To address these concerns, the bipartisan package of bills — consisting of Senate Bill 495 and House Bill 4141 — requires school districts to adopt cell phone policies that, at a minimum, bar students from using wireless communication devices on school grounds during instructional time.

School districts may adopt policies that exceed that minimum requirement. For example, districts could allow phones only during the lunch period and only for students in certain grades, or they could ban smartphone use altogether at school.

For the sake of transparency, the new law requires districts to publicly post their wireless device policies, including details on how they will be enforced. Administrators and parents must support educators in implementing new smartphone rules so they can stay focused on meeting student needs.

The law allows for exemptions for district-owned devices, medically necessary devices, special education accommodations, and instructional uses at the discretion of classroom teachers. These were all major considerations for our members, and MEA successfully advocated for including those exceptions in the final bills.

Finally, to address families’ concerns about reaching their kids during a lockdown situation, the bills require school districts to develop policies that include exemptions for use in such emergencies.

State lawmakers should be commended for working together to address addictive smartphone use among students. It’s basic common sense: Students must be fully engaged in school to achieve academic success and develop the critical social skills that will serve them now and in the future.

Lawmakers from both parties should continue collaborating to address other issues affecting our kids and their educators. One potential area is online safety legislation, as introduced in the recent “Kids Over Clicks” Senate package:

• “Safety by design” and “privacy by default” rules designed to protect children from harmful content, online scams and targeted ads.
• The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act would prohibit social media companies from using content-feed algorithms for minors.
• The Leading Ethical AI Development (LEAD) for Kids Act would help restrict children’s access to potentially dangerous AI chatbots.

We believe these bills, along with the new smartphone law, will go a long way toward improving children’s mental health, protecting them from online exploitation and helping them better focus on their studies.

Every school in Michigan is facing similar challenges regarding our kids’ online safety and the need to improve students’ focus and mental health. Parents, educators and community members all have a role to play in finding solutions that will protect our children and keep classrooms safe places for our kids to learn and grow.

That makes online safety a perfect issue for lawmakers to continue making bipartisan progress for Michigan students.

Erik Edoff is senior executive director of the Michigan Education Association. Printed as submitted to Detroit Free Press.