RELATING TO EDUCATION.

HB1195

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1195

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO EDUCATION
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that teachers and
administrators across the nation are battling against the overuse of cell phones.

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Nearly ninety-seven per cent of
teenagers report using their phones during the day and receiving up to two
hundred thirty-seven notifications a day.
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Teachers and administrators report constantly
redirecting students and confiscating phones which drastically cuts into
instructional time.
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According to a 2024
National Education Association poll, eighty-three per cent of teachers support prohibiting
the use of cell phones at school use during the entire school day, with
school-approved exceptions.

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Access to social media is an
identified culprit that keeps students addicted to their devices.
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A recently published study in the Internation
Journal of Mental Health and Addiction stated a link between social media use
and mental health.
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The report concluded
that people with higher rates of depression tend to use social media more and
that excessive social media use is linked to unhealthy behaviors that not only
affect mental health but also physical health.
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The addictively curated content keeping social media users glued to
their phones all day bombard users with images, sounds, and stimuli that
interfere with the capacity to concentrate resulting in decreased learning and
inevitably declining academic performance.

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In recent years,
states have passed
laws or enact policies that ban or restrict students' use of cell phone in
schools statewide.
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Louisiana and South
Carolina allow students to possess their electronic telecommunication devices
on their person throughout the instructional day, but it must be stowed away.
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Currently in Hawaii, individual schools are
left to create their own policies, but enforcement has proven difficult.
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The legislature finds that a cell phone ban in
schools can help curtail this pervasive issue and support students, teachers,
and administrators in creating and cultivating healthy and productive school
environments.
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Accordingly, the purpose
of this Act is to:

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(1)
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Develop a cell
phone use ban in schools across the State; and

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(2)
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Launch an
educational campaign for students in grades six through twelve about the
social, emotional, and physical effects of social media.

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SECTION 2.
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Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

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�302A-
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Cell
phone use.
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(a)
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Effective beginning with the 2025-2026 school
year and thereafter, no student, unless authorized by the school principal or the
principal's designee, shall use or operate any electronic telecommunication
device, including any mobile telephone service, during instructional hours,
whether on campus or off-campus for a school related activity.

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(b)
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Effective beginning with the 2025-2026 school
year and thereafter, no student shall possess, an electronic telecommunication
device throughout the instructional day.
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If a student brings an electronic
telecommunication device in any public school building or on the grounds
thereof during an instructional day, the electronic device shall either be
turned off and properly stowed away for the duration of the instructional day
or prohibited from being turned on and used during the instructional day.

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(c)
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Effective beginning with the 2025-2026 school
year and thereafter, no student shall access social media platforms with internet
access provided by the school district, except when expressly directed by a
teacher solely for educational purposes; and

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(d)
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The provisions of this section are not
applicable to a student whose individualized education program, individualized accommodation
plan, section 504 plan, or individualized health plan requires the student's
use of an electronic telecommunication device.

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(e)
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The provisions of this section shall not
apply when a student is expressly authorized by a teacher to use their cell
phone for instructional purposes.

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(f)
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The provisions of this section shall not
apply when it is necessary to use an electronic telecommunication device to
respond to an emergency situation.

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(g)
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The department shall adopt rules under
chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section.
"

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SECTION 3.
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Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

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"
�302A-
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Social
media education.
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(a)
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The department shall establish and administer
a comprehensive age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate K-12
instruction on:

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(1)
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For students in
grades six through twelve, the social, emotional, and physical effects of
social media.
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This component must
include, but need not be limited to:

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(A)
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The
negative effects of social media on mental health, including addiction;

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(B)
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The
distribution of misinformation on social media;

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(C)
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How
social media manipulates behavior;

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(D)
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The
permanency of sharing materials online;

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(E)
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How
to maintain personal security and identify cyberbullying, predatory behavior,
and human trafficking on the internet; and

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(F)
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How
to report suspicious behavior encountered on the internet.

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(b)
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The department shall make available online
the instructional material being used pursuant to this section, and each school
shall notify parents of its availability.

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(c)
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The department shall adopt rules under
chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section.
"

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SECTION 4.
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New statutory material is underscored.

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SECTION 5.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOE; Cell
Phone Use; Social Media Education; Public Schools

Description:

Requires the
department of education to prohibit cell phone use during the instructional
day, prohibit student access to social media through the school's internet, and
implement a social media education campaign.
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Creates exemptions for students requiring
accommodations, emergency situations, and teacher authorizations.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.