Back in April 2024, I wrote about my legislation that would apply restrictions – and even complete prohibitions – on the use of smartphones in our public schools. Fast forward, my legislation (House Bill 4141) has passed through the House Education Committee with bipartisan support. I’m also very pleased that Gov. Whitmer asked for bipartisan legislation to reduce smartphone use in our schools in her 2025 State of the State Address. Further, the Michigan Senate has passed their version of smartphone “policies”.

The near-complete adoption of smartphones by tweens and teens in our society is still relatively new. It was in the early 2010s that nearly every middle and high school student started carrying a powerful computer – called a smartphone – in their pockets or, more likely, always in their hands. This constant access to “friends” through group texts, social media platform posts and direct messaging became a defining activity among our tween and teen population. Now, after a decade or so experience, we know that this instant and never-ending digital access is not healthy.

Today, we know that the algorithms pushing the content on social media platforms are designed to keep our children, grandchildren, and adults, glued to their smartphones. That’s the whole point of the business model: get you online and keep you online morning, noon, and night. It’s an addiction. Oh, your child is addicted to their smartphone? Take it away for a weekend and see me if they react like an addict.

So, the question becomes, when do we allow these developing young addicts to carry around the device to which they are addicted? Do we allow it during school day instruction time, when they are supposed to learning the three R’s?

The research and science are in: Smartphones and social media platforms are addictive, constantly demanding your child’s attention (200 to 400 app notifications a day), and are literally rewiring the neuro connections in their brains. Don’t believe me? See the October 2025 edition of The Atlantic, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.”

A Columbia University English professor describes how his students’ exposure to the rapid-fire stimuli of social media scrolling has “rewired” their brains away from the long-term attention span needed to sit and read a book. English majors at Columbia University haven’t developed the self-discipline needed to read the assigned books.

Aside from the “rewiring” damage, there’s the “drama” associated with smartphones in schools. Cyberbullying takes teasing and taunting to stratospheric levels that continue 24/7/365. Thousands of teens trolling the halls of Michigan’s middle and high school buildings take photos or videos of embarrassing situations for the sole sake of online reputational sabotage. In-school fights are planned and promoted specifically to capture and post online. All of this can be eliminated through thoughtful restrictions and prohibitions of smartphone use during school and instruction hours.

Nine states have now enacted minimum standards, restrictions, and prohibitions on smartphone use in their public schools. Ohio, California and others started by “allowing” or “emphasizing” policies to reduce smartphone use, but they weren’t enough. Within a year, all of those states have adopted statewide minimum requirements.

That’s where we are in Michigan today. My bill requires a bell-to-bell prohibition of smartphones for grades elementary and middle school. High school students would not be able to use smartphones during instruction time.

What if there’s an emergency? Your child’s safety is greatly increased when they are focused on the adult in the classroom that is trained to manage them successfully through an emergency. Talking to a parent miles away from school, who knows nothing of the emergency at hand or procedures to follow, only further endangers all students. The absolute worst thing is to have hundreds of parents arriving in their cars as first-responders are trying to do their jobs.

We’re getting close. The governor, the Senate, and soon the House will all agree: It’s time to regulate and restrict smartphones, statewide, in our public schools.

State Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills represents Michigan House District 55, which includes the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills, and part of Oakland Township. You can reach him by calling 517-373-1792 or by sending an email to marktisdel@house.mi.gov