Saturday, March 15, 2025
Student smartphone use in schools continues to be a hotly debated subject of debate, revolving around the question of whether the devices are essential for communication, or harmful distraction.
Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan to restrict phone use in schools statewide as part of her fiscal year 2026 executive budget proposal. If implemented, the restrictions would take effect in the 2025-26 school year.
“From parents and teachers to social justice and law enforcement leaders, New Yorkers agree that our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling,” Hochul said. “Using the insights from my statewide listening tour, this comprehensive proposal to restrict smartphone use in schools will ensure that New York’s statewide standard for distraction-free learning delivers the best results for our kids and educators.”
Hochul’s proposal cites concerns about the effect of unfettered smartphone usage on students’ mental health. The initiative would prohibit students from using phones and other internet-enabled devices throughout the entire school day — including in classrooms, lunchrooms and study halls.
Students would be allowed to carry basic cellphones without internet access, and use school-issued laptops and tablets for classroom work.
Each school district would be responsible for creating a plan to store students’ phones, and for providing a way for parents to contact their children when necessary. The state would allocate $13.5 million in funding for storage solutions such as cubbies or lockers.
The Freeport school district already has policies regulating personal technology use, though they are more flexible than Hochul’s proposal. The district’s policy manual acknowledges that technology can enhance learning, and states that students may use personal devices for instructional purposes under the direction of school personnel.
Outside class, students are allowed to use personal technology — including smartphones — during non-instructional time, such as lunch and in between periods, as long as they follow school guidelines. The proposed statewide ban would eliminate this flexibility.
While Hochul argues that this would improve students’ focus and mental health, some Freeport parents are concerned about losing contact with their children throughout the school day.
One parent, Joseph Anthony-Smith, questioned whether banning smartphones entirely is realistic, given current safety concerns in schools.
“I think taking away all use of cellular devices during school hours is unrealistic these days, especially when considering the rate of gun violence in this country,” Anthony-Smith said over text message. “Firearms still hold the top spot for cause of death of children in the U.S., and so it gives many families some peace of mind knowing their kids can reach them if something happens at school.”
He added that while limiting phone use might help students focus in class, safety should be the priority. “If our kids had an overall safer experience in the school environment, I’d be all for it,” Anthony-Smith said. “However, that is not the reality for our kids currently. Perhaps the focus should be on developing more rigorous gun laws first before taking away a potential lifeline.”
Another parent, Dawn de la Llera, criticized the complexity of implementing a new policy when existing rules already regulate phone use. “I think attempting to make blanket policies that are rife with endless exceptions are ineffective and cause more trouble than they’re worth,” she said over text. “If we say no unsanctioned use, then that implies that there is sanctioned use. Who determines when, where and why? How will those rules be communicated to the staff, students, and parents, and then who is responsible for policing this new policy?”
De la Llera also questioned whether new rules are necessary when current policies already prohibit phone use during class.
“Are these policies that already exist not being enforced, which is why we need to create new blanket policies?” she asked. “Creating some new policy, which replaces the existing policy that is fundamentally the same, doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.”
Howard Colton, another district parent, said he believed Hochul’s proposal has merit, but emphasized that parents need a way to stay in touch with their children — which the governor’s plan states schools must provide.
“I think her idea is a very good idea, and our children need to focus on school, not on their cellphones, social media and texting,” Colton said.
Freeport district officials declined several requests for comment on Hochul’s plan, instead directing the Herald to the district’s current policy manual.
As parents across the state await details on how Hochul’s plan would be enforced, the debate over balancing students’ mental health, safety and communication continues, as does discussion of the governor’s budget in the State Legislature.
