Governor Hochul has introduced a new plan to ban cell phones and tablets during school hours. January 22, 2025.
© Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal + © Tania Savayan/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Albany, NY) – New York Governor Kathy is continuing to pursue a solution — with so many young kids seemingly addicted to their cell phones. Parents have been looking to monitor “screen time” for years in this era of cell phones and tablets. So, Hochul wants to make that an extended reality in schools. She’s unveiling a new plan to ban cell phones at schools statewide.
Hochul’s aim is to have students hand over cell phones, smart watches, and electronic tablets at the start of the school day — beginning next year. This would apply to K-through-12 schools, lasting the entire day — including lunch and study hall. It would be up to individual schools and districts in terms of how those phones would be stored. In some cases special locks are used, there are also phone-lock pouches, and cubbies that are set aside for phone storage.
Under the 2026 state budget proposed by Governor Hochul, more than $13 million has been set aside for the phone storage issue. Schools are also required to give parents an alternate method of contacting their kids, should an emergency or other issue arise. Hochul says phone bans have been shown to improve learning, protect students’ mental health, and lead to more enriching social interactions in school.
