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According to the most recent Healthy Youth Survey, nearly three out of four 12th graders in Washington say they use social media apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat several times a day.

But soon that might not be at school as state officials push restrictions on phones and other smart devices in classrooms.

Multimedia journalist Venice Buhain has the story.

VO: About 75% of public schools in Washington state have implemented some kind of limitations on cell phones.

Governor Bob Ferguson would like to see limitations at all of them.

>> From the first bell to the last, students will not have access to their cell phones.

In our schools, digital distractions are causing kids to miss what's written on the whiteboard.

They're focusing more on memes than on math.

VO: Ferguson called this a top priority for the next legislative session at a press conference last month.

But the push to limit cell phones in classrooms began several years ago, after state school Superintendent Chris Reykdal urged school districts to adopt policies and procedures limiting their use.

Principal Zachary Stowell, of Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in Seattle, said it's brought positive changes to the learning and social environment since that school implemented their policy in 2024.

>> The classrooms are more vibrant, students are engaging, there's more social time.

And at the end of the day, student success is up.

Our climate data is up, our test scores are up, and I'm seeing kids smile at rates that we've never seen before.

VO: The Washington Healthy Youth Survey asked about social media use in 2023 and 2025.

In the latest survey, 37% of the state's sixth graders said they use it several times a day.

That percentage rose in the upper grades, with 75% of 12th graders saying yes to the same question.

Another nationwide study, published in 2024, used an app to track phone use.

It showed that participating students spent an average of 1.5 hours on smartphones during the school day, and 25% of them spent more than two hours on the phone during school.

Dr.

Lucia Magis-Weinberg is the associate director of research for the Center for Digital Youth at the University of Washington.

She surveyed Washington schools with phone limitations to learn more about the impacts those rules had on students and teachers.

Maybe 20, 25% told us that their stress had gone up after the implementation of the restrictions, which for me was surprising.

VO: A big part of that stress came from students coming to rely on their phones for everything, like many adults do.

The researchers said schools will have to help students adjust to life without phones, like many students did in the past.

>> I knew that I had to bring pen and paper, that I had to bring my school calendar, which was printed, where I could write down.

I had to bring my watch.

I had to very clearly coordinate with my parents before I went into the school building.

Who was going to pick me up and at what times?

I think all of that we now need to scaffold and support students in doing without their devices.

VO: The Center for Digital Youth also works with a small group of high school students called the Youth Advisory Board to help shape its research.

Last year those students issued a research memo on school phone policies encouraging policymakers to make several considerations when making rules, including considering alternatives to all day bans, thinking about needs like medical and translation, and including input from students, parents, and teachers.

One Robert Eagle Staff seventh grader said the phone limitations made a huge difference among students.

>> They're not consistently worried about notifications, social media, or getting a text that can change their whole mood in seconds.

During the day, we get a break from all of that and can focus on our learning, friends and more.

VO: Ferguson said a detailed proposal from his office is expected in September.

If passed during the 2027 legislative session, the ban would start in the 2027-28 school year.

For Cascade PBS, this is Venice Buhain.

>> To learn more about social media use and other topics in the Healthy Youth Survey, visit CascadePBS.org/thenewsfeed.

I'm Paris Jackson, thanks for watching.