Albany, NY – With technology continually changing the landscape of education and presenting unprecedented challenges, New York State United Teachers is calling on the governor and Legislature to provide consistent, statewide restrictions on cellphone use during the school day.
On Dec. 9 at the state Capitol, NYSUT gathered a coalition of partners in education, healthcare, child and family advocacy, and law enforcement who support safeguarding students’ authentic learning and mental health through distraction-free schools.
“Research has shown that adopting a phone-free school policy is one of the most impactful steps you can take to enhance student educational outcomes, behavior and well-being,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “We have an opportunity to provide children with an average of seven hours each school day to be fully present and free from the pressures and harms of phones and social media. Now is the time to act on it.”
“If students are distracted in the classroom, they’re not learning,” said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, Chair of the Assembly’s Higher Education Committee. “As we strive to help every New York student reach their full potential, seriously reducing the use of and access to cell phones in classrooms is a critical and overdue step. Firm and sensible cellphone restrictions are essential to creating learning environments where students can focus and ultimately, thrive. A powerful coalition of parents, teachers, school staff, doctors, law enforcement and so many more all agree; we need a plan now to address this growing problem in our schools.”
“Parents, teachers, doctors and students themselves are all on the same page about this: smartphones in school are an addictive distraction that makes kids more anxious, isolated and depressed,” said state Senator Andrew Gounardes. “If Big Tech companies refuse to prioritize children’s mental health above their profits, then we need to heed the call and take action ourselves. Restrictions on smartphones during the school day helps ensure young people have the school experience they deserve, where their health, safety and well-being come first.”
“It’s going to make your school safer,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. “This is legislation that should be a no-brainer. We want our kids to go to school and thrive.”
“Students are attached to devices and using them in place of human connection,” said Lysa Mullady, President of the New York State School Counselor Association. “There’s a false sense of belonging coupled with a craving to view, post, repost, like and comment as part of a number of ‘followers.’ The constant fluctuation of inclusion and exclusion creates tremendous anxiety. In order to reverse this trend, it is imperative to limit cellphone use in schools.”
“The mental health impacts of cellphone use on students can be disastrous,” said Blanca Gonzalez-Parker, Guilderland School Board President. “Cellphones have increased bullying and a new level of despair and anxiety among bullying victims who are without respite, due to the fact that photos and videos taken by their peers can live on social media indefinitely
"It's urgent that we address the problem of cell phones in schools,” said David Monahan, campaign director for Fairplay. “Schools that have adopted robust cell phone restrictions are success stories — students are fully engaged again, with their teachers and with one another, when they’re not distracted by the lure of TikTok and Snapchat at their fingertips. Governor Hochul and the Legislature can make New York schools the thriving places of education and inspiration that young people deserve if they take action in 2025 to ban phones from schools.”
“Kids’ personal devices have no place in the classroom. We should have never allowed that to happen,” said Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director of MAMA – Mothers Against Media Addiction. “They’re being deprived of the real-life experiences and interactions they need with their classmates, with teachers, and with other trusted adults in the school that are critical for their wellbeing and development both as learners and as human beings.”
“We’d like to see that this is a uniform policy throughout the state of New York and that it’s applied fairly, particularly to communities of colors,” Anthony Harmon, NAACP New York Branch President. “We want to create safe, nurturing environments where our students can learn and grow and become all that they can be.”
Educators and administrators in districts where phone restrictions have been put in place shared the incredible transformation they’ve seen in their classrooms, halls and cafeterias where students are reconnecting with their peers and teachers.
“I’ve been teaching for 30 years and one of my favorite things was to stand in the hallway and just talk to kids as they walk by—until cellphones became popular. Then all I saw was the top of their heads,” David Rounds, Bethlehem Central Teachers Association President. “But that’s not the case anymore. Our halls are lively again, conversation has come back, and it’s like the old days where I see their smiles, I see their eyes, and I have witnessed firsthand their engagement improve almost immediately.”
"Cell phones in schools can be a major distraction, pulling students away from learning and real-life connections,” said Natalie McKay, Schoharie Teachers Association President. “Without phones, we see students engaging more in social activities, building friendships, and fully participating in their school community.”
“Three years ago, Schoharie banned cellphones … and it made a much more positive school environment for students,” said Dave Blanchard, Schoharie Central School District Superintendent. “On day one, our teachers noticed students engaged with each other, talking through problems, going into our school counseling office, working out issues rather than trying to solve issues on a cellphone.”
“I transferred to Schoharie from a school that allowed virtually unrestricted access to cellphones,” said Schoharie High School senior Jax. “I had been scared out of my mind to be in a new school where I didn’t know anyone. But when we don’t have phones, we connect with each other, and I was able to connect with teachers and with peers and make friends unbelievably fast and I attribute that to the phone ban. When we disconnect from phones, we connect with each other. It’s just that first step of disconnecting that can be tough to do on our own.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with nearly 700,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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