Opinion: It’s starting to look like using smartphones in schools will be the new smoking in the bathroom

On June 18, Newsom vowed to severely restrict the use of smartphones in California schools and hopes to pass restrictions during the state’s current legislative session, which ends in August. — Getty Images/The New York Times

Let’s be clear: Young kids, who are still navigating their sense of self, are locked into a hyper-digital world that comes with potentially fatal risks – and spending way too much time there.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy seems to agree. On June 17, he declared adolescent use of social media a medical emergency, and called on Congress to require social media platforms to come with warnings, similar to those printed on alcohol, tobacco, or nicotine products.