Gavin Newsom signs bill to ban cell phone use in California public schools



California school districts will be forced to limit or prohibit cell phone use in public schools after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill, along with many others, into law.

The bill, AB 3216, was approved by a bipartisan vote after being authored by Republican Assemblyman Josh Hoover.

The bill states that schools must "adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a school site or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school."

School districts must develop and adopt their new rules by July 1, 2026, and update their policy every five years.

'These devices in a child's everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide.'

There are limitations to the bill that allow exceptions, or "special circumstances," under which a student may not be prohibited from having a smartphone.

"We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues — but we have the power to intervene," Newsom said, per the Sacramento Bee. "This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they're in school," the governor added.

Bill author Hoover thanked Newsom for the "major victory" for the mental well-being of children, along with the hope of improving academics.

"Research continues to demonstrate the potential harms of smartphone use among children," the Republican claimed. "The growing use of these devices in a child's everyday life can contribute to lower test scores, anxiety, depression, and even suicide."

Democrat state Sen. Angelique Ashby opposed the bill over concerns that children would not have access to their phones during an emergency, such as a school shooting. However, the law does indeed grant exceptions for emergencies.

Phones can also be allowed as part of a student's specific learning plan, likely for special needs.

A trend in phone bans has increased in several states and private schools across the country. States with outright bans on smartphones in public schools include: Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Newsom's flurry of bill signings has also come with scrutiny, particularly surrounding the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024.

The new law has been accused of being too harsh on content creators who make memes or obvious parodies using artificial intelligence.

California is even facing a lawsuit from content creator Mr. Reagan, whose real name is Christopher Kohls. Kohls posted an AI-manipulated parody video about the Kamala Harris campaign in July. His lawsuit argues that California is "flagrantly" using state power to "force private social media companies to censor private citizens’ speech by purging election-related AI-generated content."

The new law will require online platforms to develop reporting procedures for users to flag content that has been missed by the website, so that it can be taken down if not in accordance with the law.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Study reveals cell phones are killing face cells and might be doing a whole lot more



A study recently published in the peer-reviewed Elsevier journal Environmental Research revealed that cell phone radiation can do a whole lot more than simply warm users' faces.

Background

Mobile phones emit radiation in the radiofrequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

According to the National Cancer Institute, second through fourth-generation cell phones emit radio waves in the frequency range of 0.7-2.7 gigahertz; however, fifth-generation phones are anticipated to use a spectrum of up to 80 GHz.

Supposedly, such "energy is too low to damage DNA. By contrast, ionizing radiation, which includes x-rays, radon, and cosmic rays, is high frequency and high energy. Energy from ionizing radiation can damage DNA."

DNA-damaging radiation is particularly concerning because that could lead to genetic changes that might significantly increase the risk of cancer. New York University radiology professor Christopher Collins told Forbes earlier this year that electromagnetic radiation only starts to ionize and threaten DNA at around 3 million GHz.

The NCI suggested that beside heating, there "are no other clearly established dangerous health effects on the human body from radiofrequency radiation."

Recognizing that the absence of proof of a causal link between cell phone radiation and cancer is not proof of an absence of such a link, various health organizations have expressed concern as well as the need for caution.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, for instance, maintains that the electromagnetic fields produced by cell phones are possibly carcinogenic to humans.

A study published last year in the journal Reviews on Environmental Health indicated that specific low frequency magnetic fields generated by power lines and various electrical appliances "can increase the risk of developing leukemia in children, probably acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Prolonged exposure to electric appliances that generate magnetic fields higher than 0.4 µT like electric blankets is associated with a greater risk of childhood leukemia."

The European Commission's directorate-general for health and food safety has acknowledged a possible link "between long term mobile phone use with acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor of the auditory nerve."

The California Department of Public Health indicated in a 2017 alert:

Although the science is still evolving, some laboratory experiments and human health studies have suggested the possibility that long-term, high use of cell phones may be linked to certain types of cancer and other health effects, including: brain cancer and tumors of the acoustic nerve (needed for hearing and maintaining balance) and salivary glands[;] lower sperm counts and inactive or less mobile sperm[; and] headaches and effects on learning and memory, hearing, behavior, and sleep.

Damning new study

A team of Austrian researchers recently executed the first human intervention trial under controlled conditions, examining the possible cell-killing and DNA-damaging effects of mobile phone radiation.

Participants in the study were exposed to low and high doses of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System signal via headsets for two hours on five consecutive days. Both before and weeks after their exposure, buccal cells — cells found on the inside of the cheek — were collected from the 41 subjects and closely examined.

Although the researchers found no evidence for induction of chromosomal damage by 3G cellphone radiation and of "nuclear buds which are caused by gene amplifications," they did observe a "significant increase of binucleated cells which are formed as a consequence of disturbed cell divisions, and of karyolitic cells, which are indicative for cell death."

These effects were not observed on the sides of the subjects' faces that were not exposed to the UMTS signals.

'These processes may possibly lead to formation of neoplastic cells.'

The researchers indicated that they had "found clear evidence for disturbance of the cell cycle and cytotoxicity. These effects may play a causal role in the induction of adverse long term health effects in humans."

"It is possible that these effects cause inflammatory responses and/or release of ROS, which were seen in a number of laboratory studies," wrote the researchers. "These processes may possibly lead to formation of neoplastic cells."

Tumors, also called neoplasms, are made up of neoplastic cells.

"Evidence is accumulating that exposure to HF-EMF [between 100 kilohertz and 300 GHz] is associated with specific brain tumors," wrote the researchers. "The results of the present investigation indicate that molecular mechanisms other than chromosomal damage may cause neoplastic transformation of the cells as a consequence of exposure to mobile phone specific HF-EMF."

Dr. Rob Brown, a diagnostic radiologist who serves as vice president of scientific research and clinical affairs for Environmental Health Trust, told the Defender that the Austrian study "is significant and should be looked at with great concern."

"Most research to date exploring the biological effects of electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation has been performed on in-vitro cell cultures, plants and animal models," said Brown. "Because of this, they have been easier to discount by industry and policymakers."

Brown suggested the study also provided "strong evidence that at least some frequencies emitted by the cellular phone passed through the entire thickness of the cheek's soft tissue (typically 1 centimeter in thickness or more) to affect the sampled cells" — a revelation that points at the possibility that such penetration could be "expected in all parts of the body in which a cellphone may make contact."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

4 Policy Prescriptions For Turning Little Smartphone Zombies Into Happy, Healthy Kids

Kids are more anxious and depressed than ever, and this is tied to the rise of smartphone use during their formative years.

More than 70% of teens feel more peaceful without their phones while some say it makes them feel lonely, Pew research shows



The latest research from Pew showed that nearly three-quarters of teenagers feel at ease without their phones at times, but half of teens surveyed also said they still feel anxiety without their device.

New data from the Pew Research Center titled "How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time" explored how teens and parents are reacting to the amount of time they use their devices, how it makes them feel, and how they feel without it.

While four in 10 teenagers said they spend too much time on their phones, just 27% of American teens said they spend too much time on social media.

It is generally girls who are more likely to say they have tried to cut back on their use of their phone or social media, although the majority (61.5%) of both genders said they have not.

However, it is teenagers' emotions regarding how they feel when they are not with their devices that is perhaps most telling. When it comes to what they feel when they do not have their smartphone with them, 74% said they often or sometimes feel happy. At the same time, 72% said that they often or sometimes feel peaceful.

The troubling responses come in the form of feelings of anxiety, which 44% said they often or sometimes feel, while becoming upset or lonely was noted by 40% and 39% of teenagers, respectively.

Older girls are the most likely category to feel anxious without their phones. The majority of girls 15 to 17 years old (55%) have felt this, which was 15 points higher than the next closest demographic of younger teen girls ages 13 to 14.

— (@)

The children believe that their phones' benefit outweighs the harms they may cause, however, with 70% agreeing with that sentiment. Why? They say phones make it easier to pursue their hobbies and interests (69%) or be creative (65%), while around half of the responding teenagers said that it helps them "do well in school" (45%).

Teens and parents have different views on adults' cell phone usage, too. Teenagers who say that their parent is often or sometimes distracted by their phone when having a conversation with them totaled 46%. Parents disagreed, with just 31% saying they were too distracted to carry on conversations with their kids at times.

None of this has stopped parents from looking through their teenagers phones, however.

Half of parents surveyed said they look through their teen's smartphone, and most of the kids have noticed, too. It seems 43% of teens seemed to be aware their parents were looking into what they do on their phones, although that figure could also include kids who were suspicious of innocent parents.

According to Pew, 1,453 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17, along with their parents, were surveyed between Sept. 26 and Oct. 23, 2023, for the study.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

SCOTUS temporarily blocks Texas immigration bill. Here’s what COULD happen after the final ruling on March 13.



Just as Texas reached its limit with Biden’s open border policies and proposed Texas Senate Bill 4, which would allow the state to arrest illegal immigrants, the Supreme Court stepped in and halted progression.

Now, Texas once again has its hands tied with the invasion at the border — at least until March 13, when SCOTUS will make a final ruling.

“We can't enforce our laws; we can't keep our border sovereign,” sighs Sara Gonzales.

To make matters worse, “We're finding out there was a FOIA lawsuit from the Center of Immigration Studies that revealed that the Biden administration has been coordinating flights for approximately 320,000 illegal immigrants to 43 different cities across the country.”

“You don't even have to walk these days,” says Sara. “You can just get a free flight, free money, free debit card, free phone — free everything, but if you're an American citizen, no. If you’re a homeless veteran, stay on the streets.”

“It's so blatant, and you may see the Supreme Court end up taking the position of the Federal Government because I do not think that they want freer states,” adds Eric July of Rippaverse Comics.

How Texas would respond to such an unfavorable ruling poses some serious implications.

According to Eric, if SCOTUS blocks SB4 and prevents Texas from protecting its borders, the state must take the position of “we don’t care” and decide to protect the border anyway, regardless of what that means on a national level.

Sara agrees — “What are they going to do? You already have Border Patrol who is calling out Joe Biden and saying he is doing a horrible job ... and they have already come out and said we respect the Texas National Guard.”

“Maybe violence breaks out, but maybe that’s what it has to come to.”


Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Americans across the country are experiencing drops in cell service, in some cases hindering 911 calls



Tens of thousands of Americans awoke Thursday morning to discover their cell phones were bereft of signal. In addition to being unable to touch base with friends, families, and coworkers, some users apparently were unable to hail 911.

While those affected by the cascading cellular service outages appear to be predominantly AT&T customers, clients of other service providers are reportedly experiencing issues.

Around 3 a.m., there was a spike in reports of AT&T outages on the website Downdetector. As of 9:02 a.m. ET, there were over 73,000 reporters of customers experiencing service issues.

While Verizon, T-Mobile and other providers similarly saw spikes, Downdetector indicated they were orders of magnitude smaller. Verizon and T-Mobile maintain that their networks were unaffected and operating normally.

A spokesman for T-Mobile told CBS News, "Downdetector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks."

"Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier," Verizon said in a statement obtained by the New York Times. "We are continuing to monitor the situation."

While AT&T has confirmed that it is experiencing rampant outages, it failed to provide an explanation for why the failure occurred in the first place, reported CNN.

"Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them," the company said in a statement. "We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored."

A spokesman for the company indicated further that AT&T's first responder network nevertheless remains operational.

The outages prompted some speculation online about possibly wicked causes, such as an electromagnetic pulse strike or a cyberattack; however, an industry source who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity suggested the issue is likely linked to a process known as peering, whereby cellphone services pass off calls from one network to the next.

CNN noted that the company was experiencing sporadic outages earlier this week, including a drop in 911 service in various southeastern states.

Blaze News reached out to AT&T for comment on the extent and cause of the outages as well as a projected timeline on a remedy but did not immediately receive a reply.

Various municipalities and local authorities across the country have confirmed the outages, in some cases highlighting corresponding difficulties reaching first responders by phone.

The City of Upper Arlington in Ohio noted that outages were affecting fire alarms, such that first responders "may not be notified of an activation." The city advised residents to follow up alarms with a 911 call "for the foreseeable future."

The San Francisco Fire Department noted that while the San Francisco 911 center was still operational, 911 calls had reportedly been impacted for some customers.

Various other official channels, including the X accounts for the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, the Rockville City Police Department of Maryland, and Orlando Police Department in Florida noted similar difficulties. A common recommendation: Use family or friends as proxies for 911 calls or call from a landline.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

FACT CHECK: No, T-Mobile Will Not Be Fining Customers For ‘Harmful’ Texts

The fines apply only to third-party messaging accounts who send illegal and illicit content.

Is The Revival Of The Dumb Phone The Solution To Our Tech Addiction Woes?

Flip and feature phones are often deemed a 'product of the past,' but could they be the future of ditching tech addiction?

How American Soldiers Invented GPS On Labor Day Weekend In 1973

It’s taken 400 years of scientific discoveries to make it possible for anyone to find his location anywhere on the globe using GPS.

Study: Outside Of School, America’s Teens Average 70 Hours Per Week Glued To Screens

America’s young people are wasting almost all of their waking free time on entertainment instead of personal development or service to others.