Pennsylvania - Student cellphone use may soon be prohibited in Pennsylvania schools. 

Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill in the state senate Friday that aims to restrict student cell phone use in schools, citing the "steep decline in youth mental health and academic performance during the past decade."

If passed, Senate Bill 1014 — sponsored by Sens. Devlin Robinson (R-37), Vince Hughes (D-7), and Steve Santarsiero (D-10) — would require Pennsylvania schools to adopt cellphone policies that would prohibit student-use during the school-day. If the bill is passed, each individual school district will be responsible for crafting their own policies.

There would be exceptions to the "all-day cellphone-free policies" including: "students with medical conditions; students with individualized education plans requiring the use of a personal communication device; English language learners who rely on translation apps; and limited teacher-approved instructional use with approval from the school principal."

"Children are struggling emotionally, socially, and academically. The data is clear: smartphones are playing a major role," Sen. Robinson (R-37) said in a statement. "I'm proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure Pennsylvania students have the opportunity to learn and connect with one another without a constant distraction in their pocket."

Pennsylvania's proposed bill also closely resembles Ohio's own Senate Bill 158 which was introduced back in April, gaining quick support from Governor DeWine; the bill did pass the Ohio State Senate and is currently up for discussion in the House Education committee.

Pennsylvania state senators who sponsored the new bill say that many schools in the state have already implemented similar policies and are reporting students to be more engaged during class-time.

The legislation currently awaits Pennsylvania Senate consideration.