Friday, March 28, 2025
Gov. Kathy Hochul recently unveiled a proposal as part of her fiscal year 2026 executive budget aimed at virtually eliminating smartphone use in New York’s public schools, emphasizing the need for “distraction-free learning statewide.” The initiative would ban the use of smartphones and other internet-enabled devices throughout the entire school day, including during classroom time, lunch periods and study halls, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The plan also provides schools with flexibility in how they manage phone storage, with $13.5 million in state funding allocated to help purchase storage solutions such as pouches or cubbies.
“The Baldwin (Union Free School District) prohibits phones in all areas of our schools K-8 and in all classrooms at the high school,” Superintendent Shari Camhi wrote in an email. “Banning cell phones in schools at the state level does not enhance what exists already. It allows us to tell students that ‘it is against the law.’ The real issue is 24/7 access to cell phones, particularly outside of school. The temptation to continually check messages or scroll is ever-present.”
The proposal comes after what Hochul described as a months-long statewide listening tour, during which she heard from parents, teachers, students and others who voiced concerns about the growing presence of smartphones in schools. Educators, students, law enforcement officers and social justice advocates joined her for the announcement on Jan. 22.
“We know that our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling,” Hochul said in the news release. “This proposal will ensure that our schools have the tools they need to create distraction-free spaces where students can focus on what matters most — their education.”
If approved, the policy would take effect in the 2025-26 school year, and would apply to all public school districts, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES, facilities. The proposal includes provisions to ensure that parents can still contact their children during the day if necessary, and allows exceptions for students who require phones for medical reasons or as part of Individualized Education Programs.
Hochul’s plan builds on her effort last year to address the challenges that technology poses for young people, including the Safe for Kids Act, which restricts addictive social media features for minors, and the New York Child Data Protection Act, which limits the collection of minors’ personal data online.
Hochul also noted that the proposal reflects her ongoing commitment to addressing youth mental health, a concern that has been central to her administration since she became governor in 2021. As part of a $1 billion investment in mental health, she has expanded access to care in schools. Since February 2024, the state has funded 71 new school-based mental health clinics, bringing the total number of facilities to over 1,100 statewide.
Camhi explained that she neither supported nor opposed a smartphone ban, but emphasized that the real solution lies in holding technology and social media companies accountable for the harm they may cause children.
“Our parents and educators are stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Camhi said. “The real solution resides at the beginning — where the smartphones are manufactured and marketed, and how social media companies have gained access to our children without parental permission.”
The governor’s budget proposal is expected to be reviewed by lawmakers in the coming months.
