SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – With the start of the school year approaching, the debate over cell phone usage in New York schools is intensifying. Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for legislation to ban smartphones in classrooms, a move that has sparked significant conversation among parents, teachers, and policymakers. The proposed ban aims to enhance students’ mental health and academic performance by reducing distractions.
Katie Schumacher, a New York State certified teacher and founder of “Don’t Press Send,” a campaign that educates students about social media’s negative health effects, advocates for the legislation. Schumacher says the ban is important because it will protect developing minds from constant social media use and online connectivity during school hours.
“The gist of my program is, ‘okay until the laws and policies catch up,’ because there were no laws and policies in place protecting children, ‘we created the perfect storm of a mental health crisis between developing brains, allowing them on these things, and then the addictive piece,'” Schumacher said.
Schumacher believes the ban will also be a wake-up call for parents.
“The reason why I’m hoping that it does go through is because parents are still late to the game understanding the emotional damage that this is doing,” she added. “All three of them [the student, the parent, and the school] have to be educated and informed. So the parents have to say to their students, ‘Well, how do you feel when you’re not on it [the phone]? Now, the minute I give it to you after school, are you tense? Are you anxious? Are you worried? Are you doubting yourself? Are you consumed? You can’t expect children to parent themselves,’” Schumacher said.
Gov. Hochul supports a statewide ban, arguing that a district-by-district approach is ineffective. “A statewide ban is a better approach,” she said. “It seems to me that a district-by-district approach does not work. Sometimes it’s easy to blame the state of New York…I don’t anticipate that a piecemeal approach will be my approach.”
Some parents are concerned that students need their cell phones for emergencies. Hochul addressed these concerns in a recent press conference. “Children are less safe in that environment when they are distracted by a cell phone instead of following the leaders who are trained to know what to do,” she said.
The status of cell phones in classrooms remains undecided. While some parents worry about safety, educators argue that minimizing distractions is key to effective learning and optimizing student mental health. The decision on this legislation will shape the future of education in New York, affecting how students engage, learn, and perform in the classroom.
Gov. Hochul is currently conducting a listening tour to assess statewide sentiments.
