Mayor Adams Wants Cell Phone Ban In NYC Schools By 2025

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Eric Adams wants to have a cell phone ban in place in city schools by next school year.

During a press conference at P.S. 35 in the Bronx on Tuesday, Adams told reporters that he strongly "believes cell phones should be banned in school."

The mayor said his goal is to have a policy in place by the fall of 2025 in time for the upcoming school year.

“The science is clear that cell phones are really distracting our students, our teachers, and it’s adding to bullying. It creates an unhealthy environment," Adams added.

Back in August, Adams disclosed that the city would not be implementing a cellphone ban for the latest school year, Patch previously reported.

"We want to remove any distraction from our children. Right now, there are some schools that already have bans. But once you use the conversation or the terminology that it is a full ban coming from the chancellor, there are a lot of things that will kick into play," Adams told reporters at the time.

"... There will be some action in the upcoming school year. But the extent of a full ban, we're not there yet."

The mayor reiterated at the time he wanted to have parents and educators on board.

City officials have been exploring a number of options for implementing a cell phone ban, including collecting devices at the start of the day or requiring students to put their phones in cloth cases that are locked with a magnet.

In addition, schools may be required to buy cubbies or other storage equipment for student's phones.

Similarly, Gov. Kathy Hochul has also been considering a ban on smartphones in schools. Students would only be able to have cellphones that can’t access the internet.