Statement on California Assembly Passage of AB 1644 to Keep Smartphones Out of the Classroom

SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2026—Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer issued the following statement after the California State Assembly passed AB 1644 (Muratsuchi), which requires schools to keep smartphones out of the classroom for students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade and encourages high schools to do the same:

"We thank Assemblymember Muratsuchi and the Assembly for giving California's youngest students a distraction-free place to learn. Keeping phones out of the classroom is the smart and healthy thing to do.

"The evidence keeps pointing in the same direction. Phones are engineered to keep kids scrolling, not learning. Common Sense Media research shows students lose close to a full class period to their phones during the school day. That is time stolen from teachers, classmates, and learning itself.

"A growing number of states are proving that distraction-free schools work. California should be next, and we should not stop with our youngest students. We urge every high school to adopt a bell-to-bell standard, and we urge the Senate to send this bill to the governor's desk."

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate for policies to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.