The largest school district in the country wants to following the lead set by other municipalities across the country and ban the use of cellphones in classrooms, CBS News reported.
New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks said he and Mayor Eric Adams plan to announce a rollout in the next month.
"They're not just a distraction. Kids are fully addicted now to phones," Banks said. "We're going to ban the use of phones in school."
The plan by New York City follows a growing trend among school administrators who have seen the ubiquity of phones align with poor attention span and eroding social skills.
"It's very hard to get them to even talk to each other anymore. They're buried in their phone," Banks added.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reportedly is considering state-level action on the issue of cellphones in schools.
Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District said that it was considering a ban on smartphones for the over 400,000 students under its umbrella. California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the movement a few days later in pushing for statewide ban at public schools.
The move from New York and California follows a statement by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who on Monday of last week called for a warning label on social media platforms.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called for the passage of their Kids Online Safety Act following Murthy's statement.
"Many people know about surgeon general's warnings. They've seen them on alcohol bottles or on tobacco products," Murthy said. "I think our office has a long history of being trusted on issues related to public health."
New York City's efforts follow similar legislation from Florida in 2023 and Indiana in April of this year that ban cellphones during class time.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.