{"id":3418,"date":"2024-09-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-21T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/?p=3418"},"modified":"2024-09-25T00:16:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T00:16:41","slug":"new-yorks-governor-wants-to-liberate-kids-by-taking-their-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/2024\/09\/21\/new-yorks-governor-wants-to-liberate-kids-by-taking-their-phones\/","title":{"rendered":"New York\u2019s governor wants to \u201cliberate\u201d kids\u00a0\u2014\u00a0by taking their phones"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Kathy

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul waves during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. | Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a hot new trend this back-to-school season: cellphone bans. <\/p>\n

At least eight states have enacted regulations<\/a> limiting cellphone use in schools so far this year, and many more individual districts and schools have implemented similar policies on their own. The changes are driven by bipartisan concern that teenagers are unable to break away from their phones and concentrate in class, or even just talk to people in real life, as well as growing concern about the pervasive mental health challenges posed by social media. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I thought it was going to be really annoying, but it\u2019s actually not that bad,\u201d said Lev Zitcer, a freshman at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, which is limiting phone use this year. \u201cI think there\u2019s like a different level of communication that comes with, like, being bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul agrees. She\u2019s been campaigning to enact a cellphone ban across the Empire State. <\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve talked to schools where they have banned cellphones. We\u2019ve found out that there are a lot of challenges involved. But if you get ahead of it, we can be successful,\u201d Hochul told Today, Explained<\/em> co-host Sean Rameswaram. <\/p>\n

Below is an excerpt of Sean\u2019s conversation with Hochul, edited for length and clarity. There\u2019s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained<\/em> on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, or wherever you get podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sean Rameswaram<\/h4>\n

You\u2019ve got a lot on your plate. You\u2019ve got that \u2014 we saw you at the DNC. Obviously, a lot of election stuff in the air right now. There\u2019s been a lot of controversy around congestion pricing. But we\u2019re here to focus on getting cellphones out of the classroom. Why is this an important issue for you right now? <\/p>\n

Kathy Hochul<\/h4>\n

This is the end of a long journey that I started about a year-and-a-half, two years ago, when I was seeing data about teenagers really struggling after the pandemic. And I wanted to know what\u2019s going on with the kids. And I have a lot of teenage nieces and nephews and I\u2019m seeing things happening that are not positive. I started talking to teenagers, going around to schools, every corner of the state, convening them and finding out that they are so affected by the bombardment of addictive algorithms on social media throughout the day.<\/p>\n

And also the extreme cases of FOMO. They need to know what\u2019s happening \u2014 the girls meeting in the restroom without them? Is a party being planned and they\u2019re not there? So these kids\u2019 stress levels are off the charts. But meanwhile, this is during the school day when they\u2019re supposed to be paying attention to a teacher, learning something and ultimately graduating. So it\u2019s a huge distraction.<\/p>\n

I know the opposition, what they\u2019re going to say \u2014 they\u2019re going to tell me that they need to be able to reach their children if there\u2019s a crisis. And I\u2019ll tell you right now, that was my first reaction, like, well, okay, they may not need to have access to the internet, social media during the day, but they certainly need a cellphone to contact their parents if there\u2019s a mass shooting \u2014 every parent\u2019s nightmare. But what I heard from law enforcement disabused me of that notion \u2026 They said if there is a crisis on campus, no matter what it is, the last thing you want are your kids reaching for their cellphone, trying to communicate with them, take pictures, getting video of it. You want them to pay attention to the head of the classroom, their teacher, to lead them to safety. And I was persuaded the second I heard that from law enforcement. <\/p>\n

Sean Rameswaram<\/h4>\n

Interesting. As you alluded to, a lot of schools are doing this. Schools across the country are doing this, states across the country are doing this. Blue states, red states, they\u2019re taking different approaches. What approach do you want to take in New York? <\/p>\n

Kathy Hochul<\/h4>\n

We\u2019re winding down in our information-gathering process. First of all, I can\u2019t do anything as governor without the legislature. So I\u2019m basically building the case, building the data, the narratives, the information from the surgeon general, other experts, authors who study this, building the argument that, first of all, our young people are better off without access to a cellphone during the school day. And teachers, 72 percent of teachers in this country are saying<\/a> it\u2019s a big distraction. It is not helping the learning process. In fact, it\u2019s hindering. <\/p>\n

So we are looking at and I\u2019m going to be proposing this in the next few months before they meet again in January, more likely a cellphone ban \u2026 It is easier to lock them up at the beginning of the school day, get them out at the end of the school day instead of: \u201cWho\u2019s going to make sure they have them locked up again when they come back from recess? Who’s going to make sure they\u2019re locked up after lunch? What if they go to the restroom?\u201d \u2026 The teachers don’t want to be the phone police. They want to teach. <\/p>\n

Sean Rameswaram<\/h4>\n

I want to ask you about how parents might feel about that, because parents seem to be a big part of this equation. And it seems generally, and we\u2019ve heard it from even, you know, a parent on our team, parents want to be able to communicate with their kids throughout the school day. And I\u2019m wondering, one, are you hearing that from parents in New York state, and two, how you\u2019re going to sell this to them when the time comes? <\/p>\n

Kathy Hochul<\/h4>\n

That\u2019s a good question. And here\u2019s what I would say: Talk to the other parents who came to our meetings, but especially talk to the parents who are teachers. We get a lot of them. And people who understand what has happened to their child in this setting, that they\u2019re a different person than they would otherwise be because of this constant communication to others when they\u2019re supposed to [not be] distracted, they\u2019re supposed to be learning. <\/p>\n

One mom said, \u201cMy son is being bullied throughout the day. My husband now leaves work early, so he\u2019s there to be there when he gets home from school to make sure he doesn\u2019t take his own life.\u201d Because the intense pressure on kids being bullied through their phones, through the social media platform, it\u2019s intense. Now, this is maybe a rare case. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s common, but people don’t realize the pressure they\u2019re under about how the kids look, what they say. It\u2019s a tough environment to be a teenager under any circumstance, but you exacerbate it when you have all these outside external factors that are hitting them at the same time. <\/p>\n

When I was growing up, yes, there were bullies. Yes there were mean kids. You walked down the other hall, you avoided them, right? You can\u2019t avoid being bombarded with messaging throughout the day. And we need our kids to be liberated. <\/p>\n

Sean Rameswaram<\/h4>\n

Where do you think we’ll end up as a country? \u2026 Do you think we\u2019ll end up in a place where every school will be doing some version of this? <\/p>\n

Kathy Hochul<\/h4>\n

My view is that if we never start out with an expectation that they\u2019re allowed in schools, this will be the first generation we liberate from that, and then the subsequent ones will not have that same pressure \u2026 It\u2019s all about listening to the kids. They want us to save them. And I\u2019m the adult who\u2019s going to be willing to do that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul waves during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. | Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images There\u2019s a hot new trend this back-to-school season: cellphone bans.  At least eight states have enacted regulations limiting cellphone use in schools so far this year, and many more individual districts and schools have implemented similar policies on their own. The changes are driven by bipartisan concern that teenagers are unable to break away from their phones and concentrate in class, or even just talk to people in real life, as well as growing concern about the pervasive mental health challenges posed by social media.  \u201cAt first I thought it was going to be really annoying, but it\u2019s actually not that bad,\u201d said Lev Zitcer, a freshman at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, which is limiting phone use this year. \u201cI think there\u2019s like a different level of communication that comes with, like, being bored.\u201d New York Gov. Kathy Hochul agrees. She\u2019s been campaigning to enact a cellphone ban across the Empire State.  \u201cI’ve talked to schools where they have banned cellphones. We\u2019ve found out that there are a lot of challenges involved. But if you get ahead of it, we can be successful,\u201d Hochul told Today, Explained co-host Sean Rameswaram.  Below is an excerpt of Sean\u2019s conversation with Hochul, edited for length and clarity. There\u2019s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Sean Rameswaram You\u2019ve got a lot on your plate. You\u2019ve got that \u2014 we saw you at the DNC. Obviously, a lot of election stuff in the air right now. There\u2019s been a lot of controversy around congestion pricing. But we\u2019re here to focus on getting cellphones out of the classroom. Why is this an important issue for you right now?  Kathy Hochul This is the end of a long journey that I started about a year-and-a-half, two years ago, when I was seeing data about teenagers really struggling after the pandemic. And I wanted to know what\u2019s going on with the kids. And I have a lot of teenage nieces and nephews and I\u2019m seeing things happening that are not positive. I started talking to teenagers, going around to schools, every corner of the state, convening them and finding out that they are so affected by the bombardment of addictive algorithms on social media throughout the day. And also the extreme cases of FOMO. They need to know what\u2019s happening \u2014 the girls meeting in the restroom without them? Is a party being planned and they\u2019re not there? So these kids\u2019 stress levels are off the charts. But meanwhile, this is during the school day when they\u2019re supposed to be paying attention to a teacher, learning something and ultimately graduating. So it\u2019s a huge distraction. I know the opposition, what they\u2019re going to say \u2014 they\u2019re going to tell me that they need to be able to reach their children if there\u2019s a crisis. And I\u2019ll tell you right now, that was my first reaction, like, well, okay, they may not need to have access to the internet, social media during the day, but they certainly need a cellphone to contact their parents if there\u2019s a mass shooting \u2014 every parent\u2019s nightmare. But what I heard from law enforcement disabused me of that notion \u2026 They said if there is a crisis on campus, no matter what it is, the last thing you want are your kids reaching for their cellphone, trying to communicate with them, take pictures, getting video of it. You want them to pay attention to the head of the classroom, their teacher, to lead them to safety. And I was persuaded the second I heard that from law enforcement.  Sean Rameswaram Interesting. As you alluded to, a lot of schools are doing this. Schools across the country are doing this, states across the country are doing this. Blue states, red states, they\u2019re taking different approaches. What approach do you want to take in New York?  Kathy Hochul We\u2019re winding down in our information-gathering process. First of all, I can\u2019t do anything as governor without the legislature. So I\u2019m basically building the case, building the data, the narratives, the information from the surgeon general, other experts, authors who study this, building the argument that, first of all, our young people are better off without access to a cellphone during the school day. And teachers, 72 percent of teachers in this country are saying it\u2019s a big distraction. It is not helping the learning process. In fact, it\u2019s hindering. So we are looking at and I\u2019m going to be proposing this in the next few months before they meet again in January, more likely a cellphone ban \u2026 It is easier to lock them up at the beginning of the school day, get them out at the end of the school day instead of: \u201cWho\u2019s going to make sure they have them locked up again when they come back from recess? Who’s going to make sure they\u2019re locked up after lunch? What if they go to the restroom?\u201d \u2026 The teachers don’t want to be the phone police. They want to teach.  Sean Rameswaram I want to ask you about how parents might feel about that, because parents seem to be a big part of this equation. And it seems generally, and we\u2019ve heard it from even, you know, a parent on our team, parents want to be able to communicate with their kids throughout the school day. And I\u2019m wondering, one, are you hearing that from parents in New York state, and two, how you\u2019re going to sell this to them when the time comes?  Kathy Hochul That\u2019s a good question. And here\u2019s what I would say: Talk to the other parents who came to our meetings, but especially talk to the parents who are teachers. We get a lot of them. And people who understand what has happened to their child in this setting, that they\u2019re a different person than they would otherwise be because of this constant communication to others when they\u2019re supposed to [not be] distracted, they\u2019re supposed to be learning. One mom said, \u201cMy son is being bullied throughout the day. My husband now leaves work early, so he\u2019s there to be there when he gets home from school to make sure he doesn\u2019t take his own life.\u201d Because the intense pressure on kids being bullied through their phones, through the social media platform, it\u2019s intense. Now, this is maybe a rare case. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s common, but people don’t realize the pressure they\u2019re under about how the kids look, what they say. It\u2019s a tough environment to be a teenager under any circumstance, but you exacerbate it when you have all these outside external factors that are hitting them at the same time.  When I was growing up, yes, there were bullies. Yes there were mean kids. You walked down the other hall, you avoided them, right? You can\u2019t avoid being bombarded with messaging throughout the day. And we need our kids to be liberated.  Sean Rameswaram Where do you think we’ll end up as a country? \u2026 Do you think we\u2019ll end up in a place where every school will be doing some version of this?  Kathy Hochul My view is that if we never start out with an expectation that they\u2019re allowed in schools, this will be the first generation we liberate from that, and then the subsequent ones will not have that same pressure \u2026 It\u2019s all about listening to the kids. They want us to save them. And I\u2019m the adult who\u2019s going to be willing to do that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3418"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3421,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418\/revisions\/3421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mobiledave.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}