How One L.A. School Is Enforcing Phone Limits Without Taking Phones Away

English teacher Jocelyn Medawar has noticed a new vibe at Harvard-Westlake School this school year: Upper school students are chatting in the halls and greet her as they enter class. They no longer have their “faces glued to a screen,” said Medawar, who has taught at the elite private school for 35 years. “The whole feeling on campus has generally changed.” At a time when school cellphone bans or limits are the law in California public schools and in at least 34 other states — a growing national movement to get distracted students off their devices and focused on learning — Harvard-Westlake has found a way to enforce their restrictions by turning to — what else? — a mobile app that partially locks down phones and flags the front office when students attempt to break the rules. Students in grades 10 through 12 must install a custom-programmed app called “Opal” that blocks a list of social media and gaming apps that Harvard-Westlake educators have identified for now as scofflaws during school hours: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Discord, Threads, Pokémon Go, Roblox, Clash Royale and Reddit. Students at the Studio City campus are allowed to keep their cellphones with them and
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