More and more schools are banning mobile phones.

In a recent round of restrictions and austerity measures, states that previously allowed limited cell phone use during the day are now resorting to outright bans or stricter restrictions during school hours.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging schools in the nation’s largest state to “limit smartphone use on campus” and find ways to reduce phone use in the classroom. This will lead to “improved concentration, better academic outcomes and increased social interactions,” Newsom said in a letter Tuesday, urging districts to implement these changes before the start of the school year.

Other states are also taking tough action.

Pennsylvania, for example, offers $100,000 in grants to school districts to purchase lockable bags to keep cell phones away during the day. The program is optional, and participating school districts must study and report on its impact on student achievement and behavior.

“Kids spend so much time on social media and their smartphones that it’s taking a toll on them mentally, emotionally and academically,” said Ryan Aument, a Pennsylvania state senator who sponsored the locked bag legislation. “Smartphone restrictions have proven successful in reversing these trends. Students deserve to be able to learn without constant distraction in their bags.”

Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia will ban cell phones in elementary schools, require them to be set to silent in middle school lockers, and require high school students to keep them in designated classroom storage areas. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in the country, is also developing a policy to limit or ban cell phone use during the school day.

Last year, Florida became the first state to crack down on the rules, passing a law requiring public schools to ban student cellphone use during class and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi networks. Some districts went even further and banned cellphones for the entire school day.

The rise of artificial intelligence

Cell phone use in schools has increased dramatically over the past two decades, and the rise of social media and smartphones has increased social pressure and distraction for many students, leading to backlash from school administrators.

With the change, a wave of AI or artificial intelligence is also breaking into the country’s schools.

School districts are struggling to adapt as the AI ​​revolution continues to advance at breakneck speed around them. Simply understanding what AI is and the wide range of uses it offers is a daunting task that schools are only just beginning to grapple with.

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, adopted its first AI policy in June. The union documented the rapid increase in AI use among middle and high school students—80%, according to a recent report, up from 50% last year—but said only 22% of teachers used AI last year.

The policy stresses that “AI should neither replace nor undermine the connection between teachers and students,” but that when used effectively, it can enhance learning.

The California Department of Education has published one of the most comprehensive documents on the subject: “Learning with AI, Learning About AI.” Rather than proposing rigid rules, it provides background information on AI and helpful principles for understanding the technology and guiding teachers and students in its use.

“Incorporating AI skills and computer science standards into K-12 education adapts the curriculum to the needs of the modern world, encourages critical thinking and creativity, and prepares students to become active contributors to the AI ​​revolution,” the report said.

It advocates teaching computer science to children as early as kindergarten so that they understand how AI processes data and produces results, and so that students are able to think critically about the results and identify possible biases.

The technology could also reduce “learning inequalities” by creating individual learning plans based on a student’s progress and abilities, and overcome various language and cultural barriers. Teachers could also use it to create lesson plans and automate routine tasks.

Districts will be tasked with preparing students for an AI-dominated workforce, the California and NEA reports say. The World Economic Forum has predicted that AI will transform the way more than a billion jobs are performed by 2033.

Nevertheless, the tension remains: students must be taught the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic while at the same time using AI effectively without being dominated by it.