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Your kid’s iPhone might soon get schooled.
Starting this fall, New York will require all public schools—from kindergarten through 12th grade—to ban smartphone use during the school day under a new statewide mandate announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The “bell-to-bell” rule aims to curb social media addiction, reduce classroom distractions, and address mental health concerns among students.
School districts, including NYC’s, will need to come up with their own device storage plans, whether that means collecting phones in the morning, locking them in magnetic pouches, or stashing them in lockers. Either way, the days of TikToks in the bathroom and Snapchat under the desk are (mostly) over.
The ban applies to smartphones and smartwatches but exempts basic flip phones and internet-free devices. Students who need their phones for medical monitoring, translation or as part of an IEP or 504 plan will still be allowed to carry them. The state will provide $13 million to help schools pay for secure storage solutions.
The new policy follows a national wave of restrictions as educators, lawmakers and parents grapple with the toll of always-online teen life. A Pew survey found that nearly 90-percent of U.S. teens have smartphones, and usage has been linked—albeit inconclusively—to increased rates of anxiety and depression.
In New York City, many schools already limit phone use, with middle schoolers stashing devices in cubbies and high schoolers carrying them in locked pouches. But enforcement varies, and students have found clever ways to break the rules, sometimes literally.
Educators are split on how smoothly the statewide ban will roll out. Some support the move, calling it overdue. Others raise logistical and equity concerns, particularly for students with caregiving responsibilities or those who rely on translation apps.
Civil liberties advocates worry the policy could open the door to increased surveillance or disproportionately harsh discipline. But under the law, students can’t be suspended just for phone use, and districts must report any disparities in enforcement.
“We’ve protected kids from cigarettes, alcohol and drunk driving. Now it’s time to protect them from addictive tech,” Hochul said.
Like it or not, come September, the school day will be a lot less scrollable.