North Carolina is poised to join a growing list of states to enact commonsense measures to reduce mental illness and improve education outcomes for their children and adolescents. 

The North Carolina legislature passed a bill on Wednesday requiring public school districts to ban the use of cellphones in almost all instances during instruction time. Passed with near-unanimous bipartisan support, the bill requires cellphones to be turned off, silenced, or in airplane mode from the morning bell to the end of the school day, with a few exceptions, including emergencies, special education, and health plans. It will also restrict social media use on school devices and mandate teaching social media literacy, particularly how it affects mental health.