Gov. Hochul Proposes Statewide Cell Phone Ban in Schools

Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced her plan to create distraction-free learning by restricting smartphone usage in schools statewide starting in the next school year..

“If you need someone to be the heavy, it’s my job. Let me be the person that says, ‘I’m putting our kids first,’ ” she said at a Jan. 22 event. “It’s time to cut that cord and let our kids be kids.”

In New York City, a past education chancellor, David Banks, had strongly hinted the ban was going to be implemented for the current school year, but weeks before the school year started, Mayor Eric Adams abruptly put the kibosh on the plan, citing some parental concerns and questions from the powerful United Federation of Teachers over how to implement such a ban

“We want to make sure we have parents on board,” Adams said in an in-person media availability in August. “When you talk about the hurdles, a lot of parents are concerned about not being able to be in contact with their children, especially after 9-11.”

Jenn Silverstein told Chalkbeat in September about the time her two children were texting her during an active-shooter lockdown at their school.

“It made me realize that the idea of schools going phone-free just doesn’t work for me,” said Silverstein. And a recent poll from the National Parents Union, an advocacy group, found that 78 percent of parents whose kids take cell phones to school said it was so the children could communicate during an emergency.

The UFT takes these concerns into account, stating in a September press release that city educators could get on board with the ban if it meets four key conditions:

“Educators are not the first or sole line of enforcement,” the UFT said. Other conditions: “the NYC Department of Education’s central bureaucracy pays for the cost, not individual schools. Enforcement is consistent, fair and uniform. Schools have emergency contact lines set up for parents.”

Hochul addressed some of these concerns in her Jan. 22 announcement and has included it in the FY 2026 Executive Budget Proposal.

“I’ve already put $13.5 million in our budget to help the school districts to acquire storage options at their own choice.” And to ensure emergency contact, “We will have a requirement that all the schools have a way that parents can reach their kids, and vice versa.”

Another concern regarding the cell phone ban is whether it can be fairly distributed throughout the state. Anthony Harmon, the president of the NAACP, came onstage shortly after Hochul, stating his support for the proposal and reassured that the ban will not be disproportionately implemented.

“A great concern to the NAACP is that once this policy is implemented it has to be consistent throughout the State of New York. That the kid in Brooklyn is treated no different than the kid in Buffalo. We firmly believe that we can do this without adding additional barriers.”

One of Hochul’s most touched-upon goals for the proposal is the issue of social media and mental health, which is something she has been public about in the past. She announced that progress in the mental health crisis could be a byproduct of the ban.

“I believe we will be judged harshly if we don’t look at the data that is so overwhelming of the negative impact of social media and cell phones on children’s developmental ability to function, not just as kids but ultimately as adults,” said Hochul. “And how so many times social media platforms have had a profoundly negative impact on our children’s mental health.”

In addition to the cell phone ban, Hochul declared her “Unplug and Play Initiative” during the State of the State Address on Jan. 14, where she plans to invest in more recreational infrastructure. Hochul says this is also part of a broader effort to make youth mental health a top priority in schools.

“To truly free our kids from social media, we must give them safe places to simply be kids . . . We’ll build new playgrounds, we’ll create hundreds of new opportunities for kids to join music and drama clubs, join youth volunteer organizations, sports teams.”

To conclude her announcement, Hochul assured that the proposal will be significant and transformative for New York State.

“Having distraction-free classrooms across the entire State of New York, joining only eight other states that have gone this far, will show our leadership, will show how we prioritize our kids and their mental health, our kids and their learning abilities. And that will demonstrate our values as New Yorkers.”