SB 5346 — Restricting mobile device usage by public school students.

S-4672.1S-0584.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5346 State of Washington 69th Legislature 20262025 Regular Session By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Liias, Harris, Shewmake, Dozier, Bateman, Christian, Frame, Hasegawa, King, Krishnadasan, Lovick, Nobles, and Salomon)Salomon READRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 02/04/26.01/17/25.

ANReferred ACT Relating to studentCommittee useon ofEarly mobileLearning devices& inK-12 publicEducation. schools;

amendingAN RCWACT 28A.650.010Relating andto 28A.650.050;improving student outcomes by restricting mobile device use by public school students;

creatingadding a new sections;section to chapter 28A.600 RCW;

and providingcreating ana expirationnew date.section.

A study from the University of California, Irvine showed that it can take 20 minutes for students to refocus after each phone distraction and a separate study by the pew research center found that 72 percent of high school teachers in the United States say that cell phone distraction is a major problem in their classroom.

Washington students are still recovering from the massive effects of school p.closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including severe learning loss and troubling trends in student mental health.

1(3) SSBThe 5346legislature closuresintends duringto thecombat COVID-19these pandemic,effects includingwith severesafer learning loss and troublingmore trendsengaging inlearning studentenvironments mentalfor health.students.

(3)While The legislature recognizes the needUnited forStates students to learn how to safely, ethically, responsibly, and effectivelynations usearound technology through digital citizenship and media literacy in schools and for school policies to support best practices when it comes to the useworld ofconsider technology.restricting p.

(4)1 TheSB legislature5346 intendsmobile todevices buildfor onstudents, thislessons learningcan andbe helplearned publicfrom schoolsstates implement best practices by providing research on student use of mobile devices and recommendedschool bestdistricts practicethat strategieshave foralready teachingimplemented students how to use their mobile devicesdevice responsibly.restrictions.

TheThese legislaturelessons furthercan intendsbe used to reviewidentify informationthe onbest thestrategies policiesto andimplement proceduresa thatphone-free publicschool schoolsenvironment arewith adoptingmore regardingfocus studenton useacademics, development of mobilesocial devicesskills, and understandstudents theengaging barrierswith thateach publicother. schools experience implementing these policies and procedures.

TheTherefore, legislatureit willis then consider the officeintent of the superintendentlegislature ofto publicrestrict instruction'sstudent evidence-baseduse recommendationsof related to student mobile devicedevices usein withpublic aschools goalduring ofinstructional enablinghours everyusing schoolthe districtstrategy inor Washingtonstrategies torecommended implementby athe bell-to-belloffice cellof phonethe policysuperintendent thatof ispublic tailoredinstruction, tobeginning in the needs2026-27 ofschool theiryear. community by 2030.

Sec.

2.

RCW 28A.650.010 and 2021 c 301 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Digital citizenship" includes the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to current technology use and use of mobile devices, including digital and media literacy, ethics, etiquette, and security.

The term also includes the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, develop, produce, and interpret media, as well as internet safety and cyberbullying prevention and response.

(2) "Instructional hours" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 28A.150.205.

(3) "Learning device" means an internet-accessible computer, tablet, or other device, with an appropriate operating system, software applications, and data security, that can be used to access curricula, educational web applications and websites, and learning management systems, and with telecommunications capabilities sufficient for videoconferencing.

p.

2 SSB 5346 (4) "Mobile device" means any personal mobile telephone or other portable electronic communication device with which a user engages in a call or writes or sends a message, or any device in which the user plays a game or watches a video.

"Mobile device" does not include school-issued devices.

Sec.

3.

RCW 28A.650.050 and 2017 c 90 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create a web-based location with links to recommended successful practices and resources to support digital citizenship, media literacy, and internet safety ((for use in the 2017-18 school year.

The web-based location must incorporate the information gathered by the survey in section 3, chapter 90, Laws of 2017)).

The web-based location must also include research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly.

(2) Thereafter, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall continue to identify and develop additional open educational resources to support digital citizenship, media literacy, and internet safety in schools for the web-based location.

(3) Media literacy resources must consist of a balance of sources and perspectives.

4.2.

(1)A Bynew Decembersection 15,is 2026,added andto inchapter accordance28A.600 with RCW 43.01.036, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall submit an initial report to theread appropriateas committeesfollows: of the legislature with:

(a)(1)(a) ABy summaryDecember of15, the2025, policies and proceduresin thataccordance havewith beenRCW adopted43.01.036, bythe publicoffice schoolsof inthe Washingtonsuperintendent andof inpublic otherinstruction statesshall limitingreport studentto usethe ofappropriate mobilecommittees devicesof duringthe instructionallegislature hours;with:

and(i) (b) A summary of the barrierspolicies thatand publicprocedures schoolsthat have experiencedbeen whenadopted implementingby theseschools policiesin Washington and procedures.in other states to limit student mobile device use during instructional hours;

(2)(ii) TheRecommendations officefor ofsuccessful the superintendent of public instruction must distribute information to public schools on how to access the web- based location with research and strategies relatedfor torestricting student mobile device use ofduring mobileinstructional deviceshours, describedwhich inmay RCWinclude 28A.650.050.limiting use:

(3)To Byspecified Decembertime 15,periods; 2028, and in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must submit a final report to the appropriate committees of the legislature with:

p.to designated locations;

3 SSB 5346 (a) An updated summary of the policies and procedures that have been adopted by public schools in Washington limiting student use of mobile devices during instructionalparticular hours;activities;

(b)or Anby updatedrequiring summarystudents to leave mobile devices at the front of the barriersclassroom thator publicin schoolsan haveadministrative experiencedoffice, whenor implementingto theseplace policiesmobile anddevices procedures;in a secure container;