Press Release: 6/18/2025

AG Campbell Testifies In Support Of The STUDY Act To Promote Safe Technology Use And Protect Youth Mental Health

 

The STUDY Act Implements A “Bell-to-Bell" Ban on Cell Phones in Schools and Strengthens Social Media Guardrails for Youth 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

6/17/2025

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Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary

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BOSTON — Today, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell submitted video testimony to the Joint Committee on Education in support of the STUDY Act, a bill that seeks to create a statewide phone-free policy in schools and sets sensible standards for social media companies when it comes to protecting our youth on their platforms. Teachers, school administrators, psychiatrists, mental health experts, parents and students were also among those who supported the bill through testimony before the Joint Committee on Education.  

“The use of cell phones in schools and the near-constant access to social media platforms are a major contributing factor to today’s youth mental health crisis. The STUDY Act addresses these concerns,” said AG Campbell. “By restricting access to cell phones during the school day and raising the bar for social media companies, we are taking bold steps to create learning environments free from distraction and a digital landscape that prioritizes the mental health and well-being of our youth.”

In January, AG Campbell, alongside Senator Julian Cyr, Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch and Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian introduced the STUDY Act, SD654/HD3070u An Act promoting Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education for Youth. In her testimony, AG Campbell explained that the bill requires all public schools to have formal policies preventing access to personal cell phones and electronic devices during the school day from bell to bell. The bill gives districts the discretion to design their policies in a way that best suits the unique needs of their schools and students. Phone free schools will improve attention and focus, promote the development of stronger social skills, and relieve teachers and staff from having to “police” cell phones in the classroom and throughout the school building. 

The STUDY Act also requires schools to educate students about the risks of social, emotional and physical harm from social media use. For example, research has shown that after one hour of social media use per day, adolescent mental health steeply declines and decreases in happiness and self-esteem occur, alongside increases in self-harm, depression and behavioral changes.

The bill also seeks to hold social media companies to a higher standard when it comes to keeping young people safe on their platforms. This includes implementing default settings for minor users to ensure privacy and limiting the amount of time spent on the platform per day, including disabling features such as autoplay and continuous scrolling. Default settings also address night-time and school-based use by turning off notifications and app access during those times of day. Other safeguards include requirements that companies implement robust age verification systems and meet meaningful reporting requirements on young people’s social media usage. 

The STUDY Act was drafted with input from members of AG Campbell’s Youth Council, a volunteer council of teens selected from across the Commonwealth to serve as youth advisors to the work of the office. The Act reinforces AG Campbell’s multi-faceted approach to protect young people from the harms of social media. AG Campbell has filed lawsuits against Meta, and its subsidiary Instagram, as well as TikTok, for designing its social media platforms to addict young users and deceiving the public about efforts to keep its platform safe.

The STUDY Act has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, Sociedad Latina, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association.

Statements of Support

“We hear from parents and caregivers, teachers, and school leaders across Massachusetts that a more comprehensive, statewide approach is needed when it comes to cell phones in the classroom. That’s why I support the vision behind the STUDY Act and am eager to work with Attorney General Campbell and the Legislature to develop a statewide approach and support our schools and the students we all serve. Together, we can create learning environments that support student wellness and academic success,” said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. 

“As a mother of two school-age boys and former teacher, I am concerned about the impacts that cellphone usage in a learning environment poses on a student's learning. The STUDY Act will ensure that students are able to fully engage in their learning environment, free from distractions posed by phones and personal electronic devices. This legislation further protects children from the predatory tactics and algorithms used by social media platforms. Through enhanced privacy safeguards against addictive feeds, we will support the social and emotional wellbeing of children throughout the Commonwealth. I am grateful for the partnership with Attorney General Campbell, Leader Peisch, and Senator Cyr on this issue and look forward to continuing to work with them on this effort,” said State Representative Lipper-Garabedian.

“Young people today are navigating a digital world that's constantly demanding their attention, and it’s taking a real toll on their learning and mental health — and don't get me started on the utter cesspool that social media has become. The STUDY Act gives schools and educators the structure and support they need to manage personal device use and promote safe, focused learning environments. I am proud to partner with Attorney General Campbell and my colleagues in the Legislature on this effort to ensure our schools remain places where students can thrive, free from the pull of excessive screen time and the harmful effects of social media,” said State Senator Cyr. 

“As we are aware, cell phones and similar devices can negatively affect student learning and mental health. I believe this bill will empower schools to create effective, practical policies governing the use of technology, helping to refocus attention on education and promote healthier peer relationships. Additionally, the legislation includes measures to better protect children from the risks associated with social media by requiring schools to educate students about its potential social, emotional, and physical harms. I look forward to collaborating with Attorney General Campbell and my colleagues in both the House and Senate on advancing this critical policy initiative,” said State Representative Peisch.

“We are raising younger generations in a digital storm, where attention is fractured, sleep disrupted, and mood and confidence affected by likes and comparison. The Massachusetts Psychiatric Society strongly supports the STUDY Act because the evidence is clear: the unregulated use of smartphones in schools is part of a public health crisis in youth mental health. This legislation is a vital step toward protecting young developing minds. Schools should be a place of focus, connection, and digital detox—a space where children are free to think on their own, without the constant pull of an algorithm. Our kids deserve a break from the noise so they can truly learn, grow, and socialize,” said Jhilam Biswas, MD, President, Massachusetts Psychiatric Society. 

“In my capacity as Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Administrators Association (MSAA), and on behalf of our more than 2,000 member school administrators, I affirm the MSAA's unequivocal support for the Study Act. We clearly assert that a student's social and emotional health and well-being are not merely supplementary but are, in fact, the fundamental prerequisites for achieving high-level learning. Their capacity to direct attention, fully concentrate and engage is inextricably linked to their internal state. The effects of personal electronic devices and social media during the school day are detrimental to a student's ability to focus effectively on the task at hand,” said Bob Baldwin, Executive Director, Massachusetts School Administrators Association and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. 

“Sociedad Latina believes that all young people deserve learning environments where they can meet their educational goals without the constant pressures and distractions of social media and technology. The STUDY Act puts their wellbeing first in order to achieve successful educational outcomes and support young people in building more informed relationships with social media and technology. We are proud to support this important step towards healthier learning environments and young people,” said Alex Oliver-Davila, Executive Director, Sociedad Latina.

“Students deserve to have a learning experience free of distraction and negative influence. The STUDY Act takes a thoughtful approach to cell phones in schools by giving districts the tools and resources to establish their own policies, empowering them to provide a distraction-free learning environment in a way that is best for their students. Understanding that parents and students may be concerned about how these changes could impact their accessibility and safety, this bill takes important steps to engage with the community directly on the issue in a way that provides them with the knowledge and tools to identify and address the harm we're seeing to our students from overreliance on these devices and social media,” said Jessica Tang, Massachusetts President of the American Federation of Teachers.

“The STUDY Act takes a commonsense approach to addressing the ever-evolving learning environments in our public schools and to changes occurring in society at large that affect students and educators. Cellphones and other devices used for staying connected to social media have proven to be too great a distraction during the school day and are easily turned into tools for creating conflict — all to students’ detriment. We applaud the bill’s goal of ensuring that schools directly engage students in understanding the pitfalls of social media. Having a statewide framework for districts to use in creating policies to exclude students’ access to cellphones and social media during the school day will produce healthier, more supportive learning environments for all,” said Max Page, President, and Deb McCarthy, Vice President, of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. 

“I am writing in full support for the Study Act. Cell phones are addictive and it is our job as adults to protect children from these distractions by simply acting to restrict their use during the school day. It is as simple as that. We can act to provide distraction free classrooms and schools for kids, so why wouldn’t we? This is what’s best for kids and teens,” said Sara Carr, teacher and parent, Southborough, MA. 

“Social media poses countless threats to youth statewide today, from aggravating mental health problems to directly instigating stunning declines in academic performance. As a public school student and Youth Councilor for the Attorney General’s Office, I know that the STUDY Act is a step in the right direction in ensuring that students can focus on their schoolwork and not the latest TikTok trends while in class,” said Arjun Mukherjee, student and Attorney General’s Office Youth Council Member.