Lansing, MI (WGHN) – Cell phones will be banned in K-12 classrooms throughout Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed two bipartisan bills yesterday at Waverly High School near Lansing, with the new laws allowing for phones to be used for academic use, medical needs, and emergencies like an active shooter or bomb threat. School districts will be able to decide on those exemption policies.
Whitmer says the bills will “help keep kids focused in the classroom and break their growing dependency on screens and social media.”
State Rep. Mark Tisdel’s bill previously failed when it came up for a vote in July. 53 Republican lawmakers voted in favor, but zero Democrats did, even though Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made it a priority in her 2025 State of the State address. But that was during contentious state budget negotiations and had nothing to do with the merits of the bill, Tisdel said.
Hear this informative interview with Rep. Tisdel below.
This is the first time this term that a defeated bill came back from the grave and was given another vote.
“Every parent knows that phones are addictive devices. We’ve got to give kids their childhood back,” said Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills.
Next, Tisdel is working on legislation to give parents more control over how their children use social media.
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