Phone use in schools is at an all time high, with many students on social media. Proposed bills in Lansing aim to limit teen social media use and require school phone policies.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, more than a third of students between the ages of 13 and 17 say they're on social media almost constantly. The principal at Rockford High School, Tom Hosford say his students receive thousands of notifications every day.
Hosford says most — if not all of their students have cell phones and are on social media. He says while phones limit students' focus, social media has impacted their mental health.
"If there was a negative situation that happened they could get away from it. But now it's constantly on 24/7," Hosford admitted.
Lawmakers in Lansing are hoping to address the issue with two bills. HB 4141 would require school districts to implement a phone policy. HB 4388 would prevent kids from accessing social media platforms between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Rep. Mark Tisdel (R - Rochester Hills), is the sponsor for both bills. He said his goal is to address the disruption cell phones and social media platforms have on students learning and mental health.
"The essence of [HB 4388] is to prohibit minors from consenting to online social media contracts without a parents consent," Rep. Tisdel said.
Under the proposed bill, social media companies would be required to verify a person's age through third-party verification. Parents would have to consent to allow their child to use the platform.
"If your child goes in and buys cigarettes. They don't come and arrest the parents it's the person that sold them the cigarettes whose busines license is at risk," Rep. Tisdel explained.
Rockford's superintendent Dr. Steve Matthews says he appreciate lawmakers trying to address the issue — but points out that most schools already have cell phone policies — and parents already have the ability to access their children's social media accounts.
"Part of this issue is what are we doing as a society with cell phones. I see as I drive around I see people using cell phones even through there's a law against it. So, I don't think that this is a school problem, it feels like it's a bigger problem than that," Matthews said.
The bills are still awaiting a vote.
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