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Western Slope lawmaker introduces bill to crack down on phone use in Colorado’s schools 

The legislation would require all school districts to have in place a policy on students’ cell phone use in bid to reduce screen time in the classroom  

Every school district in Colorado would need to enact a policy that limits students’ cell phone use under a bill introduced at the state Capitol on Wednesday. 

Lawmakers say the measure, House Bill 1135, is aimed at improving student attention in the classroom while also mitigating the mental health impacts of excessive screen time. 

“As a teacher, I know how important it is to limit classroom distraction,” said Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, a prime sponsor of the bill. “Research shows that cell phone use in the classroom can have negative effects on our students, including lower test scores and less retention.” 



The bill would require elected school boards for every district in the state to adopt a phone policy for students. According to Lukens, two-thirds of the state’s largest districts do not currently have a phone policy in place. 

Several Western Slope districts, including in Summit, Eagle, Pitkin and Routt counties, have already implemented phone policies to varying degrees. 



Lukens stressed the bill is not a statewide policy but is designed to give districts local control over how their own measures are crafted and implemented. Districts must also consider exemptions for students’ disabilities or medical needs. 

If passed, Colorado would join 19 other states that have adopted some form of school cell phone policy. Colorado is also engaged in a lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, alleging the social media giant knowingly designed and deployed practices to get children and teens addicted to its platforms. 

“Over the last decade, the widespread adoption of smartphones are one of the many causes of why young people are suffering, why bullying is on the rise, why self harm is on the rise,” said Attorney General Phil Wesier, who leads the lawsuit alongside more than two dozen other states. 

As much as 95% of youth between the ages of 13-17 use a social media platform, with more than one-third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. 

The report goes on to say that young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety. Survey data shows that 8th and 10th graders reported spending 3.5 hours on social media per day, while 1 in 7 spend more than 7 hours. 

“Our school leaders and our kids are telling us this is a problem,” said Lauren Henry, a children’s psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “This bill represents a balanced approach and will help foster the continued mental health and growth of our kids within the school system.” 

In drafting the policy, Lukens said she looked at how phone policies were playing out in several other states. She said enforcing an one-size-fits-all approach for school districts would be difficult in Colorado and that it was important to keep decision making in local hands. 

But the bill “articulates that there needs to be a policy that limits cell phone usage in schools,” Lukens said. 

Along with Lukens, House Bill 1135 is also being sponsored by Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs. 


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