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Kids have a lot to learn while they're at school. Algebra, American history and subject-verb agreement, yes, but also self-control, patience, how to work with others, how to make friends, how to resolve conflicts and manage time.

Cellphones get in the way of all of it.

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Smartphones have reshaped how kids and teens interact with their peers and the rest of the world. That’s why lawmakers should follow Gov. Kathy Hochul's lead and ban the use of addictive, distracting internet-linked devices in schools, as she proposed late last month.

This editorial board argued as much last September. And although state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa has echoed concerns raised by parents who want the ability to reach their children at any time, that understandable impulse is not enough to justify all the harm smartphones cause to students’ learning and their personal development.

Ms. Hochul wants........

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