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I have been a mom for longer than the governor, so I try hard to protect my children – myself and yours.
So, as the governor of New York’s first mother, I led the country last year to take on addictive algorithms that drive social media feeds. And now we are taking another bold step. It will become the nation’s largest state to limit K-12 cell phones throughout the school’s day.
I have traveled through New York for the past year and spoke to everyone from the North to Long Island, from moms and dads to teachers, students and principals. I’ve heard the same thing.
Teens spend more than a quarter of their time on their mobile phones at school, a new study says
One conversation I will never forget that happened in a library sitting in circles with students. They opened up about all the pressure and stress they feel every day – what they look like, whether their clothes are cool, if they are excluded from the party. They were very anxious. Can they focus on their class by getting it all into their minds and making a fuss in their pockets?
I also heard from a teacher who said, “We can’t compete any more. We can’t compete with the screen. We’ve lost the fight to connect with our students.” They want to build relationships with their students. They want to teach. However, their children are glued to their phones, distracted, anxious and freed.
And I heard from parents who tell me how children retreat and get overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of negativity from their smartphones.
Restricting access to mobile phones can help students achieve grades, social skills and early development, experts say
The facts speak for itself. 95% of teenagers have smartphones. On average, they receive 250 notifications per day. They are so afraid to miss something that they probably can’t focus on other things. Even our kids know that it’s too much. One young woman told me, “You have to save us from yourself.” I knew she really meant that. And I knew I had to act.
I understand the legitimate fears my parents may feel and in the event of an emergency I have lost direct contact with my child. But when I traveled the state, I also heard from law enforcement. Law enforcement told me in the horrifying incident of mass casualties that the last thing you want is your child groping for their phones. Distractions mean they are not safe as they lose focus on those in the front of a safe, trained room.
So we knew we couldn’t take half the steps. Our kids needed us to be bold. Our teachers needed us to be decisive. And our parents were asking us to act. That’s exactly what we did. And I stood firm for this.
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From this fall, from the moment you arrive at school to the moment you leave, there will be no cell phones in your child’s hands. There are no more memes in place of mathematics. No more scrolling through science. Instead, children can concentrate, engage and just become children.
People ask me why this is so important. It’s easy. I want to see some laugh again in the hallway. I want to hear the real voices in gym class. I want our kids to make eye contact and talk to each other face to face. I would like to ask the teacher to teach me again. And I want to create an environment where kids can actually learn and just become kids again.
Our children’s mental health is on the line. And I’m not going to let social media or big tech companies decide their well-being. So last year I said that it was enough for them. You can’t continue to attack children with addictive and harmful algorithms. And now we’ve got our classrooms back and give our kids back to our childhood.
There is no other state here in New York that does what we do. As for the best for our children, I will never step back as far as we know, as your family is my battle. I said it on the first day and I mean it the same as today.
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So I’m proud that the next generation of leaders are growing up here in New York. A generation that is more concentrated, more grounded and more connected to the world around them.
This is the last generation of New York students, growing up on the phone in the classroom. And that’s a good thing. Now, our kids are learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling. Other states should follow our lead.
