Ed-Tech Policy Video

Los Angeles Unified Is Banning Cellphones: A Board Member Explains Why and How

By Arianna Prothero & Kaylee Domzalski — June 21, 2024 3:29
An 11-year-old boy plays with his father's phone outside school in Barcelona, Spain, on June 17, 2024. Parents across Europe are rallying to make it normal for young kids to live smartphone-free. From Spain to Ireland and the UK, groups are ballooning on chat groups like WhatsApp and agreeing to link arms and refuse to buy children younger than 12 smartphones.

Los Angeles schools gave a major boost to the movement to ban cellphones in schools when the board of the second largest district in the country voted to do just that.

But passing a resolution is only the first step for the Los Angeles Unified School District—the hard part of implementation comes next. Like other districts that have taken this step, the school district must figure out how to address everything from parent pushback to the finer details of enforcing the policy.

To learn how the district plans to address these and other challenges, Education Week spoke with Los Angeles school board member Nick Melvoin, who wrote the resolution to ban cellphones that was passed on June 18.

See Also

cellphone distraction policy bans in schools static
Laura Baker/Education Week via canva

Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.
Related Tags:

Video

Early Childhood Video Students Have Big Feelings. Can Principals Interpret Them?
Four school leaders share how they're helping students learn to regulate their emotions.
1 min read
Pre-K 4 SA teacher Deziree Arce, center, comforts one of her her students, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio.
Pre-K 4 SA teacher Deziree Arce, center, comforts one of her her students, Oct. 9, 2025, in San Antonio.
Eric Gay/AP
Federal Video What the Midterm Elections Could Mean for Schools: 4 Takeaways
What Democratic victories and an electoral bright spot for Trump could mean for schools.
1 min read
People at a Democratic event react during an election night event at a hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026.
People at a Democratic event react during an election night event at a hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Reading & Literacy Video Want Kids to Read More? An Expert Shares the Low-Cost Tips That Work (Video)
A researcher shares her tips about how to motivate kids to read more.
Illustration of children's hands holding books in a circle in the center of the frame.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week
Early Childhood Video How Play-Based Learning Helps Children Practice Math and Literacy Skills
See how elementary teachers use play-based learning to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
1 min read
Children enjoy a morning at the writing center at the Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 3, 2026. Educators at the school use play to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
Children enjoy a morning at the writing center at the Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 3, 2026. Educators at the school use play to reinforce math and literacy instruction.
Peyton Sickles for Education Week