By Hank Russell
The governor’s office is pushing back on a recent survey that came out showing that imposing restrictions on technology use may do more harm than good to children’s mental health.
According to the Coalition to Empower Our Future, nearly four in five parents — 79% — agreed with the statement that “[a] narrow approach to youth mental health and wellbeing that youth access to phones and technology bans or heavily restricts will cause negative unintended consequences for young people.”
Parents in New York say bans and sweeping technology restrictions put kids’ personal safety at risk, especially in schools. They believe children will always find a way to use technology, with or without their parents’ supervision and whether it’s banned or not.
“New York parents, myself included, want to be part of the solution to youth mental health challenges,” said Glen Weiner, a New York parent and executive director of the Coalition to Empower our Future. “They want resources, guidance and support that equips everyone to thrive in today’s digital age and are rightly wary of overly broad restrictions or bans that may have unintended consequences.”
Some of the parents who were surveyed expressed concern about the effects of children’s mental health and personal safety. “Schools in America are so unsafe,” one parent said. “Kids need their phones to call their parents or 911.”
Others said the ban will be ineffective, as children can find ways to access a cell phone.
“Bans, with no questions asked, are not a good solution because it’ll be like, ‘OK, I’m not allowed to do this, so now I have more of an inclination to do this,’” one parent said.
Another parent echoed the same sentiments. “I don’t think [banning phones] is enough on its own, and I can say for myself, living in a household where I wasn’t allowed to have a phone and social media didn’t stop me from having a phone and social media,” the parent said. “Kids are going to get around that.”
Rather, an overwhelming majority of parents believe that digital literacy and online safety courses would be more beneficial. Ninety-three percent said offering training programs for teachers on digital and media literacy would be effective, followed by parent/family digital wellness guides (91%), online safety lessons for students (89%), student-led digital wellbeing groups (88%), lessons on app engagement and design (87%), AI and online literacy lessons for students (87%), helping students evaluate whether online information is credible, especially when AI is involved (87%) and a social media literacy curriculum for students.
One parent said that students should start learning about these topics at the elementary school level, saying that waiting until they reach middle or high school is “too late at that point.”
The results come more than a year after the statewide cell phone ban in schools was implemented. As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, the ban, which took effect in the 2025-2026 school year, disallowed the unsanctioned use of smartphones and other Internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from “bell to bell”), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods. However, the policy clarifies that students would still be authorized to have access to simple cellphones without Internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans.
Additionally, LILP reported, the governor’s policy includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an Internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes, or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.
LILP also reported that the ban resulted in positive results, with 92% stating the transition to a distraction-free policy went smoothly, 83% reporting that their schools are experiencing more positive classroom environments and better student engagement since implementing a distraction-free policy and 75% reporting that implementing a distraction-free policy is improving their ability to teach effectively. A Long Island principal was quoted as saying, “It has been a very positive shift in our school community. Thank you for all of your support!”
“In its first year of implementation, Governor Hochul’s phone-free schools initiative has garnered praise statewide,” Hochul spokesperson Gordon Tepper said. “Educators, parents, and students agree that distraction-free learning has improved classroom focus and encouraged greater peer-to-peer engagement. The Governor’s policy is already delivering results, and she looks forward to seeing the long-term impact of more learning and less scrolling in New York classrooms.”