Alliance Note: New York Governor Kathy Hochul is following the passage of two historic bills regulating social media for youth by exploring banning smart phone use in schools across the state as a way to reduce the negative effects social media and other digital distractions have on school aged youth’s mental health and learning. Hochul began floating the idea of banning cellphones in schools towards the end of the 2024 legislative session as she continued her administration’s efforts to improve youth mental health.
The Governor plans to use the next few months to meet with stakeholders including school officials, teachers, parents, and school aged youth the gather information to inform a statewide policy her administration plans to announce before the end of the year. We commend the governor’s commitment to improving youth mental health in our state and her continued efforts to meet with stakeholders in the public, especially the people most affected by proposed policies. We will update you all as we learn more about possible policy changes and other initiatives aimed at better supporting our youth. Read below to learn more.
Policymakers Target Cellphone Use in Youth Mental Health Push
By Maya Kaufman | Politico Pro | July 16, 2024
Cellphone use is becoming a focal point in New York policymakers’ quest to improve youth mental health.
Gov. Kathy Hochul kicked off a statewide listening tour Monday to hear from parents, school administrators and teachers as she weighs a statewide ban on cellphone use in schools.
Hochul acknowledged the move may draw pushback from parents but called it the best approach for students’ mental health and academic performance.
“It seems to me that the district-by-district approach does not work,” she told reporters. “So I don’t anticipate a piecemeal approach will be my approach.”
Meanwhile, New York City’s public school system is looking to require schools to adopt a “cell phone free school space” during the day.
If and when such a policy is finalized, it would serve as a complete turnaround from then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision in 2015 to nix a citywide school phone ban enacted by his predecessor Michael Bloomberg.
The discussions supplement recent efforts to regulate minors’ access to social media platforms, which policymakers have blamed for fueling a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
Hochul recently signed legislation that would require social media companies to restrict the use of addictive algorithms for users under 18.
Among New York City’s public high school students, 38 percent reported feeling so sad or hopeless in 2021 that they stopped engaging in their usual activities, compared to 27 percent who felt that way a decade earlier, according to the most recent available city health data.
At the same time, 56 percent of teenagers surveyed by the city in 2023 said they use social media as a coping mechanism.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Hosts Youth Mental Health Discussion in Guilderland
By Dave Lucas | WAMC Northeast Public Radio | July 15, 2024
New York Governor Kathy Hochul convened a youth mental health roundtable Monday at Guilderland High School in Albany County.
Hochul says the session kicks off a statewide listening tour to address smartphone use in schools.
“I just met with parents, educators, local leaders, advocates, to hear from them about the challenge of cell phones in schools and how they impact our children’s education,” said Hochul. “And talking about ‘is this the actually the kind of environment we want to have for our children to continue to learn in?’ Two years ago, I started holding mental health listening sessions with teenagers to find out why the rates of suicide, depression, anxiety were so high for them, we came to the conclusion that addictive social media algorithms were affecting the mental health of children and teens in a significant way. In fact, the surgeon general the United States came the same conclusion. Those listening sessions here in New York led us to take on the social media companies.”
In June, the governor signed two bills to regulate social media. The bills make it illegal for social media companies to use addictive algorithms for users under 18 and prevent companies from collecting and selling children’s personal data without parental consent. Supporters of the legislation say social media apps negatively impact the mental health of young people.
Hochul cited a Pew Research pollreleased in June that finds 72 percent of high school teachers nationwide say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom.
“The same study found that 95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to smartphones, and they’re receiving over 250 notifications per day on average,” Hochul said. “So, a couple of observations: I am the first mom governor of New York. I’m hardwired to worry about our children and their safety, of course. But it’s also impossible to ignore the reality. That this generation, more than others, is being subjected to distractions that never existed the way they are now. There’s a screen flashing in their face. They’re experiencing FOMO, are they missing out on something at this very moment?”
Fellow-Democrat Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan says all of the evidence points to the fact that action is needed to make sure students are not distracted by cell phones.
“One of the interesting things that we talked about was this idea that somehow our kids need cell phones so that they can be safe, so that they can be connected to their parents. And really nothing could be further from the truth. Their safety, their mental health, safety, I think, is paramount. And all of the indicators are showing that cell phones, the distractions, the cyberbullying, the types of isolation that happens because of the fixation on phones, is harming our children, and it’s time that we do something about it,” said Sheehan.
Another study by Common Sense Media found children between the ages of 11 and 17 are on their phones on the average of 4 1/2 hours a day.
Hochul says she’s impressed by existing policy in the Schoharie School District, which has totally banned all distractions in school.
“No earbuds, no smart watches, no smartphones and no flip phones. They started this policy two years ago. They ran into a lot of opposition, anxious parents who felt that they needed to be connected with their children throughout the day. But they brought in law enforcement, and let the parents hear from law enforcement, that if the parent’s worst nightmare actually occurs that there’s an active shooter on site and their children are in harm’s way, something that every parent since Columbine has had in the back of their mind when they send their children off to school, that actually children are less safe in that environment when they’re distracted with a cell phone in a in an incident like that, as opposed to following the leaders of the adults who are trained to know what to do,” said Hochul.
Schoharie Central School District Superintendent David Blanchard said “There’s a real clear connection between what we see when students have access to their cell phones, and you know, how they react, you know, to different things that occur during the school day when they have full access to a phone. In other words, there can be anxiety producing events that kids all of a sudden see, whether they’re in a classroom there, they could be exposed to a another student who’s having a bad day, all things that disrupt the learning environment and do not help them to be as mentally healthy as possible while they’re trying to learn.”
Hochul says months of discussions with school officials are planned to establish rules and regulations for students and cell phones, and promises that as the listening tour continues she will use gathered information to shape a statewide policy proposal to be announced later this year.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hosts youth mental health discussion in Guilderland | WAMC