Ahead of her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul sat down with young leaders to address issues facing young New Yorkers.

The governor addressed her intention to take legislative action and limit the use of cellphones in schools statewide. In the sit down, the governor mentioned her efforts to combat youth mental illness, connecting the steady rise to cellphone use.

In a press release, the governor’s team issued this statement:

“Governor Hochul also announced that she will introduce legislation in her FY26 Executive Budget to restrict cell phone use in K-12 education, following on her historic legislative action to protect kids on social media.”

In New York City, public school students are allowed to bring electronics to school without regulation. The city leaves it up to individual schools to create their own policies.

In September 2024, the New York State Teachers Union passed a resolution in support of any statewide school cellphone restrictions or even a cellphone ban.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams previously stated he would not impose a citywide ban on cellphones in schools.