Though a step behind some of our neighboring states, lawmakers and Gov. Patrick Morrisey did an important thing with House Bill 2003 this year. It bans the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices in K-12 classrooms during instructional time, and requires county boards of education to implement policies for storage of those devices during the school day and establish consequences for breaking the rules.

“I think this is going to make a significant difference for teachers and students,” Morrisey said Tuesday. “We know that the use of personal electronic devices in the classroom increases distractions, academic misconduct and bullying and overall, it creates a negative learning environment.”

But this is about more than just classroom distractions and academic concerns.

It is likely this issue has been a priority for Morrisey since his State of the State address because he and others in Charleston are beginning to understand the damage being done to our constantly connected kids.

“There’s also concern that the mental health of students with unfettered access to cell phones at all hours of the day, that’s a problem,” Morrisey said. “We’ve read about some of the addictive nature of those kinds of activity. I think the constant use of phones in day-to-day life, that’s actually been shown to limit age-appropriate development of relationships, of social skills, and other necessary (skills) to be successful.”

Peer pressure leads many children to start asking for cell phones younger and younger — for some of them, before they are old enough to regulate their own use and avoid becoming zombies more comfortable being sucked into their devices than interacting with the real world.

While the state can’t (and shouldn’t) do anything about that outside the public school setting, it is certainly doing the right thing by drastically reducing access where it can.