© Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Albany, NY) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul says 150 school districts have submitted plans for student smartphone restrictions this fall and she’s reminding others that their plans are due August 1st.
Hochul says she’s proud of New York’s first-in-the-nation statewide “bell-to-bell” ban, noting that “No longer will children in the state of New York be bombarded with addictive algorithms, addictive messaging and having their private information sold.”
That’s what she said at a roundtable in Albany on Monday (July 21, 2025), asserting that cell phone use during school hours is impairing learning and contributing to a national mental health crisis among children. She’s convinced that restrictions will force kids to make eye contact again and encourage in-person, rather than virtual friendships. Hochul says she’s hopeful that other states will follow New York’s lead.
