New York may become one of the next states to ban smartphones in school.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week that she plans to introduce legislation that would only allow students to carry phones that don't have access to the internet. The bill would be taken up in New York's next legislative session which begins in January.
The Guardian first reported about the Democrat's move aimed at protecting young people's mental health.
"I've been sitting with teenagers in classrooms and in community centers and I have seen firsthand, not just from family members and nieces and nephews, but the addiction that is going on. Our kids are being pulled in – to a place that is often very dark," Hochul said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.
She faulted social media companies who profit from the attention of children and adults alike and blamed their algorithms that also send young people further down their dark place.
"I'll never forget the young woman I met just a few weeks ago. She says, “You have to save us from ourselves,'" the governor said.
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Last year, Florida became the first state to ban cellphones during class in public schools, as well as blocking social media access on district Wi-Fi. Some districts went further and banned phones the entire school day.
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In addition to the smartphone ban in school, Hochul and legislators are working to pass the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act. The SAFE Act would make "intentionally addictive" algorithms illegal and the latter would prevent corporations from collecting and selling young people's information.
