The cell phone rule: hands-free for adults, nothing for minors

Most people assume hands-free is always legal. In California that's only true for adults — and the difference is a classic knowledge test trap.

If you are 18 or older

Driving while using a handheld cell phone is illegal, full stop. Hands-free mode is allowed, and the handbook adds: use it only when necessary. Its recommended habits are concrete — let calls go to voicemail and pull safely off the road if you must make one; never send or read texts or emails while driving; mount the phone on the windshield, dashboard or center console where it doesn't block your view; and interact with it using a single swipe or touch.

If you are under 18

A minor may not use a cell phone or any electronic wireless device at all while driving — not to answer calls, not to text, not even hands-free. The handbook allows exactly one exception: calling for emergency assistance.

Why the handbook is this strict

The handbook names cell phones as the main source of distracted driving. The rule for the exam is easy to memorize as one line: adults, hands-free only and only when necessary; minors, not at all.

Source: California Driver's Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025), Section 8 — Safe Driving (Cell Phones and Texting; Minors and Cell Phones). Written and checked by Fernando Aguilera. Aprobify is not affiliated with the California DMV.