N.J. schools need stricter ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone bans, state commission says

A New Jersey commission is asking all schools to prohibit students from using cellphones and social media during the school day.

The state Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage in Adolescents issued a report last week outlining numerous harms to adolescents stemming from social media, which often is accessed via cellphones.

“The evidence is clear. While social media offers opportunities for connection and expression, it also poses serious risks, from cyberbullying and addictive use patterns to privacy threats, sleep disruption, and mental health decline,” the commission said in an executive summary of its report.

The report advises New Jersey school districts to ban cellphones “bell-to-bell,” which means prohibiting use during the entire academic day.

That is a stricter ban