Findings; sense of Congress

(a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Public education is critical to the economic vitality, national security, and democratic governance of the United States. (2) Disruptions to the educational process directly affect national productivity, civic engagement, and workforce development. (3) The excessive use of mobile phones during school hours significantly impairs the ability of schools to maintain effective educational environments. (4) A growing body of peer-reviewed literature has documented the detrimental effects of mobile phone usage in classrooms on attention, academic performance, and mental health. (5) Studies published in journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Educational Psychology, and the Journal of Adolescent Health have shown that the presence of mobile phones in academic settings correlates with reduced focus, lower test scores, increased academic procrastination, and higher levels of anxiety and depression among students. (6) Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, in both his academic work and public commentary, has— (A) extensively documented the relationship between the rise of smartphone use among adolescents and the decline in mental health indicators; (B) produced research pointing to a sharp increase in rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm beginning around 2012–2013, coinciding with widespread smartphone and social media adoption among teenagers; and (C) argued that overexposure to digital devices and online platforms undermines the development of resilience, emotional regulation, and in-person social connection. (7) Limiting in-school phone access is essential to reversing harmful psychological and academic trends in American youth. (8) The presence of mobile phones in educational settings contributes to increased rates of bullying, cyber harassment, academic dishonesty, and classroom distractions, thereby undermining the core mission of public education. (9) These issues are not confined to a single state or region and are national in scope, with similar patterns of disruption and diminished student outcomes reported across state lines. (10) The cumulative effect of diminished educational achievement has a substantial impact on the national economy and workforce preparedness. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that each State educational agency, in coordination with each local educational agency served by the State educational agency and in consultation with educators, parents, and students, should establish and enforce a policy that— (1) enables parents to notify students through school officials about forgotten items, changes in pick-up times, and other common issues; and (2) enables schools to communicate with parents regarding time-sensitive items.