
New York Announces Sweeping Cell Phone Ban for Grades K-12
By the next school year, all New York students will be forced to separate from their phones while classes are in session.
On Tuesday, Governor Hochul unveiled highlights from New York's 2026 budget. Among the new programs and policies that will be put into place is an initiative that is aimed at keeping schoolchildren off of their phones once and for all.
The governor cited research showing that 95 percent of New York high schoolers have access to smartphones and receive a whopping 250 notifications per day. The survey reveals that 72 percent of high school teachers complain cell phones are a major distraction in the classroom.
New York Plans Sweeping Cell Phone Ban in Schools
A new statewide policy will require every single student from kindergarten through grade 12 to disconnect from electronic devices "during school hours from bell to bell". The measure comes after discussions with parents and teachers about the mental health and educational effects of cell phones.
The difficult task of figuring out how hundreds of student phones will be stored each day will be left up to individual school districts. Over $13 million has been put in the state budget to allow schools to purchase pouches, build cubbies or make other infrastructure changes to comply with the new phone restriction.
Another part of the state's “Unplug and Play” initiative is the construction of 100 new playgrounds across the state and funding for 100,000 "out-of-school activities". Parents we spoke to are skeptical that children will opt for playing on see-saws over scrolling on Tik-Tok, but welcome efforts to help the battle against screen time.
The governor says that exceptions to the new policy will be made for students who need to use their phones for medical reasons, those with learning disabilities and non-English speaking students who need their devices to translate.
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Gallery Credit: Traci Taylor