紐時賞析／抑制網路霸凌與課堂分心 全美校園相繼禁用智慧手機、加州跟進

全美校園相繼禁用智慧手機，佛州奧蘭多市木溪高中本學期起規定校內全天禁手機，圖爲10月6日校方沒收的學生手機，存放特製保險箱中。圖／紐約時報

California Joins Growing National Effort to Ban Smartphone Use in Schools

全美校園相繼禁用智慧手機 加州跟進

Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Tuesday for a statewide ban on smartphone use in California schools, joining a growing national effort to curb cyberbullying and classroom distraction by limiting access to the devices.

州長紐森週二呼籲，就加州校內使用智慧手機制定全州禁令，加入愈來愈多全國性作爲，藉限制使用裝置，抑制網路霸凌跟課堂分心。

Newsom said he would work this summer with state lawmakers to dramatically restrict phone use during the school day in the nation’s most populous state. His directive came hours before board members at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s second-largest school district, voted to pursue their own smartphone ban that could begin in January.

紐森說，他將在今年夏季跟州議員合作，在全國人口最多的加州，大幅限制學校上課期間的手機使用。在他發出指示幾個小時前，全美第二大學區、洛杉磯聯合學區的教育委員會委員投票決定，推行自己的智慧手機禁令可以在一月開始。

The effort to curb devices on campus has transcended political lines, as Republican-led states like Florida and Indiana already have instituted their own restrictions.

抑制在校內裝置的努力超越黨派分歧，佛羅里達州與印第安納州等共和黨人主政的州已經制定自己的規範。

The moves in California followed a call for warning labels on social media platforms by the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who argued that they were fueling a mental health crisis among adolescents.

聯邦公共衛生署長維韋克．莫西醫師呼籲，對社羣媒體平臺設置警告標示後，加州的措施出臺。莫西主張，社羣媒體平臺正讓青少年的心理健康危機惡化。

“Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms,” Murthy wrote Monday in an opinion piece for The New York Times. “And the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours.”

莫西在週一紐時的投書稱，「一天在社羣媒體花超過3小時的青少年，焦慮與憂鬱風險將倍增，而在這個年齡層，截至2023年夏季，每日使用平均4.8小時」。

Many school districts in California already have restrictions on cellphone use during the school day, but enforcement can be a challenge.

加州許多學區已經制定限制上課期間使用手機的辦法，實際執行可能有困難。

Some parents in the past have objected to prohibitions because they fear losing access to their children in the case of a school shooting or other emergency. And teachers unions have been reluctant to take on the responsibility of having to enforce the policies, though they also have welcomed efforts to prevent distractions.

一些家長曾反對禁令，擔心發生校園槍擊或其他緊急事件時，無法聯繫到子女。教師工會一直不情願承擔執行政策的責任，不過他們也歡迎防止學生上課分心。

Newsom, a Democrat, said that he wanted the California Legislature to tighten existing cellphone limits in classrooms for the state’s 5.5 million students at more than 1,400 public schools.

民主黨籍的紐森說，他希望州議會強化現行教室對手機的限制，涵蓋1400多間公立學校、550萬名學生。

Newsom previously signed legislation in 2019 authorizing, but not requiring, districts to adopt cellphone bans. He signed an online safety law in 2022 requiring websites and apps to install protections for children, and then followed up last year by urging tech industry leaders in California to drop a lawsuit challenging the requirements. Both laws were passed with bipartisan support in the state Legislature.

紐森2019年授權，而不是要求各學區採行手機禁令。他在2022年簽署一項網路安全法，要求網站與App爲兒童安裝保護，去年繼續敦促加州科技業領導人，撤回反對該規定的訴訟。在州議會跨黨派支持下，兩項法律獲得通過。

文／Shawn Hubler　譯／周辰陽