New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday her intention to limit access to cell phones in schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade as part of the latest push to address children’s addiction to the devices.
In a statement, which provided no other details, the governor said she would include the legislation in her budget proposal for the next fiscal year. She gifted the initiative as a follow-up to one of her key achievements last year, passing legislation aimed at protecting young people from addictive social media algorithms. He cited a Pew Research poll that showed 72 percent of high school teachers described students being distracted by cell phones as a “major problem.”
“Young people succeed in the classroom when they learn and grow – not by clicking and scrolling,” Governor Hotchul said Monday. “My upcoming budget proposal will introduce a new national standard for distraction-free learning in our state’s schools.”
Speaking to high school and college students at Hudson Valley Community College on Monday, the governor acknowledged that restricting cellphone use could make her “very unpopular.”
Los Angeles Unified became the largest school district in the United States to ban cellphones last year. Virginia, Ohio and Minnesota are among the states that have moved to crack down on the devices in schools.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams backed away from a plan to ban cellphones in schools in August, saying the city wasn’t “there yet.”
In September, New York State United Teachers, the state’s teachers union, called for a “bell-to-bell” policy that would limit cell phone use from first period to dismissal. Union president Melinda Persson said the union is working closely with the governor to come up with a plan.
But the idea also has its detractors. Some New York City parents who were students during the 9/11 terrorist attacks have expressed concerns about losing the ability to communicate with their children in an emergency. Managers have wondered who will foot the bill for equipment to collect the phones. And some teachers have questioned how they could be expected to discipline students who broke the rules.
In a statement Monday, a spokeswoman for United Federation of Teachers, New York’s teachers union, said the organization supported state and city restrictions on cellphones in public schools as long as certain conditions were met.
The union said teachers should not be responsible for enforcing the restrictions. School districts should bear the cost instead of individual schools. Enforcement must be consistent from student to student. and schools should have emergency contact lines for parents.
Many of New York’s more than 1,500 public schools already restrict cell phone use. Some middle schools require children to place their phones in boxes along the walls of their classrooms. Many high schools hand out locked cloth phone cases that students keep in their bags throughout the school day.
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a state senator who represents a large swath of Manhattan’s West Side, introduced a bill last week that would ban students from accessing their phones on school property. He said he saw his bill as a starting point for a debate in the State Senate.
He said he hopes the governor’s plan will include a way for students to safely turn in their phones and then get them back at the end of the day.
“As a parent of a 14-year-old daughter, I understand how phones are a barrier to the learning environment,” said Senator Hoylman-Sigal. “At the same time, I appreciate that parents want their kids to have phones when they’re on the subway or the bus. So I hope the governor’s proposal covers both of these needs.”
Speaking at the community college on Monday, Governor Hochul described hearing from students who told her how they struggled to put their phones away because they were afraid they would “lose something.”
“There is so much pressure on all of you, and I have to help you with that,” he told the students. “That’s my job.”
Troy Clawson and Benjamin Oreskes contributed to the report.
