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Hochul: Banning phones in schools will help kids’ mental health

2 0
14.06.2025

With the school year quickly coming to an end, many parents will soon exchange the daily battle of getting their kids out the door to school with prying their attention away from phones.

Smartphones and social media have a stranglehold on our children. They're spending hours each day on their phones, scrolling instead of socializing, immersed in someone else’s reel instead of living their own lives. And it’s taking a toll. Our kids are lonelier, more anxious and increasingly disconnected.

We’re in the middle of a youth mental health crisis. The research shows it, but I don’t need another scientific report — I’ve heard directly from parents, teachers and teenagers all across this state about the issue. And everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: addictive technology is hurting our kids.

As New York’s first Mom Governor, this is personal to me. I’ve raised teenagers. I know the helplessness a parent feels when their child is suffering. It’s the worst feeling in the world. So I knew we had to do something about it.

I'm not one for half measures. I’m not going to sit back and talk about the problem. I’m going to take action.

Last year, I took the bold, decisive step to restrict the addictive algorithms that have monopolized our kids’ social media feeds. It wasn’t about telling our teenagers they can’t use social........

© The Leader