Though NYC students began the school year with their cellphones in hand, schools statewide will soon be implementing a cellphone ban.
On Wednesday, January 22nd, Governor Kathy Hochul stood with students, parents, teachers, social justice advocates, and law enforcement officials to launch her push to restrict smartphone use in K-12 schools statewide. The ban is part of Hochul’s commitment to protecting youth mental health and promoting student success in the digital age.
Hochul stated at a press conference:
Our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling. 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.
New York City schools Chancellor David Banks first hinted at a cellphone ban in June of 2024, and though it was originally thought that the plan would be in place by the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Mayor Eric Adams stated that officials needed more time to perfect the plan, delaying the ban. “If you don’t do it right, you won’t get it right,” he had stated.
Requirements and details surrounding the ban are as follows:
- No use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day, including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall
- Allows schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day
- Proposes $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions
- Requires schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day if needed
To clarify, students would still be “authorized to have simple cell phones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans,” according to a press release.
Additionally, the proposal does include several exceptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition.
This wouldn’t be the first time cellphones were banned in NYC schools–they were banned under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, though former Mayor Bill de Blasio then lifted the ban. Bloomberg has since announced his support of the current ban, stating, “Two decades ago, our administration banned mobile phones in all public schools…The ban was one of many policy changes that allowed us to transform the school system in ways that dramatically raised student achievement levels.”
The cellphone ban would be in place starting in the 2025-26 school year and would apply to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and BOCES. In the meantime, each school has its own cellphone policy that students are expected to follow.