A cell phone ban for New York City public schools could be implemented for the coming schoolyear, Chancellor David Banks said during an interview with ABC News on Sunday.
Banks told ABC’s Bill Ritter that he’s thinking about the issue “very seriously” and has been engaging with parents, teachers and even students on the subject.
“I will tell you overwhelmingly that we have seen these phones as a real distraction in schools,” Banks said. “During the school day I don’t see any real good use for kids having phones, and we think it’s contributed to lots of negative behavior.”
Banks went to say that he believes it to be a societal issue that children are addicted to phones and believes that putting phones in the hands of young children with developing brains creates a “complete dependency.”
“There was a time when if there was an emergency, you’d call the school,” Banks said. “We have parents who text their children all day, every day. That’s completely irresponsible; your kids should be in class; they should be learning; they should be focused on their schoolwork.”
Banks told of a recent meeting he had with a principal who said incidents in her school have dropped 48% because students aren’t able to use the phones to arrange confrontations after school hours.
“We’re taking a very strong look at this, and we’ll have something to say very soon,” Banks said.
Back in May, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she’s considering a ban on smartphones in schools as several state officials aim to keep children safe online from social media platforms and their impact on youth mental health, according to a report.
Hochul said she plans to introduce a bill later this year that would ban smartphones in schools. If passed, it means kids would be allowed to carry cell phones — not smartphones — that can’t access the internet but can send text messages.
“I’m saying, leave our kids alone,” said Hochul during an MSNBC interview. “Let them socialize. They can talk to their friends, but stop doing this. Stop selling our kids personal data for your financial gain. And also, parents should be able to turn it off at midnight, let the kids get some rest till 6 a.m. because otherwise, they’re going to this place all night long and they’re exhausted.”