After parents, teachers and policy makers watched an entire generation of children grow up with largely unregulated and easy, 24-7 access to social media and smart phones, a new report from the state department of education's social media commission is recommending "bell to bell" cell phone bans for adolescents in schools.

The report, titled "Growing up online," was created by a 2023 law to study social media's effects on adolescents and offers guidance to New Jersey's public school districts, including charter and renaissance schools.

"The evidence is clear," the report said. "While social media offers opportunities for connection and expression, it also poses serious risks, from cyberbullying and addictive use patterns to privacy threats, sleep disruption, and mental health decline."

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