Last month a state-wide ban was signed into law by New York State prohibiting the usage of smartphones in all New York schools starting with the 2025-2026 school year. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has recently proposed this ban, issuing an edict preventing students from their phones “bell-to-bell”. In an article by Newsday, it states “[the ban] aims to decrease screen time and social media use for students to protect their mental health, while increasing opportunities for learning and socialization.” While this may be beneficial for students in terms of limiting the number of distractions in the classroom, this proposed ban raises many questions regarding other aspects of the classroom.
At Hampton Bays High School, students were asked about their position on the cell phone ban. Junior Brendyn Molnar and sophomore Emma Schultheis say that the ban on cell phones makes them concerned that if there were a school emergency, they wouldn’t be able to contact their parents. In agreement with this, junior Chloe Hansen also adds that she uses her phone to text her parents during the day if she is not feeling well and needs to go home.
All these concerns also raised many questions about the ban as well. Specifically at Hampton Bays High School, students asked “What will happen to seniors during their privileges?” Many seniors go out halfway through the day to get lunch or go home. With this ban being put in place, students wondered whether or not they would have access to their phones during their privileges. Other students question whether or not they will have access to their phones in cases where they are not feeling well and need to contact their parents.
While weighing out safety concerns and the true boundaries regarding how the ban will be implemented, there are those who feel the cell phone ban could be very beneficial to schools, especially Hampton Bays. English teacher, Mr. Dulfon stated the cell phone ban would have many positive effects on the students’ academics. While he understands the concerns students may have about getting in contact with their parents, this ban is on cell phones only which does not limit a student’s use of a flip phone or phone without internet access. With a uniform policy throughout the school that is followed by all teachers, banning cell phone use could be extremely beneficial to distraction-free learning for students. Students all have access to a school-provided Chromebook with the ability to message their parents through email or directly through their Student Square accounts.
Mr. Morgan, Hampton Bays High School’s Assistant Principal, had the unique opportunity of previously teaching in a school district where a cell phone ban was present. He stated, “The building immediately got louder.” Implementing a cell phone ban would not only influence students’ healthy learning habits but also their social skills. There would be more socializing and real interactions between students during lunch periods, study halls, and other free time. The learning culture and academic drive could be a very positive influence on students and even the social aspects of school would benefit greatly.
While there are still mixed feelings about the overall implementation and uncertainty about logistics of the roll out, students should start preparing themselves for phone-free school day.
