There’s a big change for students going back to school this year: a bell-to-bell ban on the use of personal smartphones in school buildings and on school grounds during the school day.
New York now requires schools statewide to ban smartphone use during school hours, in an effort to prevent compulsive social media use by kids and limit the distractions of social media and texting that interfere with classroom education.
This means students must not use cellphones during the entire school day, including lunch, free periods, and study halls.
The ban was included in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $254 billion state budget proposal agreed to by state lawmakers in late April.
Hochul pushed for the ban to protect students “from addictive technology designed to hijack their attention,” comparing it to previous public health protections such as those against cigarette and vape use by minors.
Her decision to advocate for the ban came out of the recognition that constant use of cell phones and social media use in particular has negative mental health impacts on youth, Hochul said.
Hochul recalled in a NY 1 interview Sunday a conversation she said she had with a teenage girl in her high school library. The girl said she can’t put her phone down because if she did she’d “miss out” and would be “a social outcast,” the governor said.
“Teenage years are always tough, but what we’re learning is that with the bombardment of these algorithms — which are sending messages — a lot of them are negative. It takes them to a dark place, but in addition, the peer pressure goes on all day long,” Hochul said.
“I learned that teachers are enormously frustrated because they’re trying to teach a math class and they’re competing with a TikTok dance video — and they know they lose every time,” Hochul said in the NY 1 interview Sunday.
“They’re not teaching and making connections with students,” she said. That has a negative impact on educational outcomes as well,” Hochul said.
She concluded from her own research, and from conversations with teens and educators, “we need to do something dramatic.”
A Pew Research Center survey last year found teens reported being online “almost constantly.” Pew reported that 95% of teens in the U.S. have access to a smartphone.
Cell phone and social media use can have serious mental health impacts on younger children, according to a study published last month in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.
The study found that kids under age 13 who have smartphones suffer from poorer mental health, being exposed to cyberbullying, having disrupted sleep and experiencing poor family relationships.
New York has joined a growing nationwide trend in restricting or banning cell phone use in schools: more than half of U.S. states now have laws banning or regulating cellphones in schools.
The bans have strong support from educators, who say they’re frustrated with having to “police” phone use, which detracts from teaching time and engagement. A 2024 National Education Association (NEA) poll found: 90% and 75% favor restrictions that extend all day.
New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) strongly supports New York’s new statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban. The union’s advocacy helped shape policy. NYSUT developed a toolkit that includes requirements, success stories, and guidance to help school districts finalize and implement their phone‑free plans, according to Hochul.
“It’s going to be a tough adjustment for many of them who are used to it, the younger ones not so much, but it’s going to be like breaking an addiction all of a sudden,” Hochul said during a roundtable discussion in Hudson Valley last week. She likened it to a lifetime smoker quitting cold turkey.
“It is going to be hard. So, I need people to acknowledge that, recognize that parents need to be on board with talking to their kids, and school districts pushing out the information that we’ve been creating to tell parents weaning techniques.”
The Riverhead Board of Education approved its plan last month, with the adoption of Policy 5695, “Students and Personal Electronic Devices” on July 8. The plan implements the bell-to-bell ban on the student use of personal electronic devices including smartphones and other internet-enabled devices, such as tablets. It does not ban the use of devices supplied by the district for educational purposes.
“These devices can create significant distraction to the school environment, negatively impact student mental health, contribute to disciplinary infractions, and reduce student engagement,” the Riverhead district policy states.
The state budget agreement this spring provided $13.5 million in funding to help schools purchase storage solutions such as pouches or lockers to enforce the policy effectively. As of last month the district was waiting to hear from the state on the amount of its funding to support the new policy, Trustee Erica Murphy said at the July 8 school board meeting. “That hasn’t been decided so, but we’ll, we will stand by and see what comes down,” Murphy said.
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