About Phone Free New York

From Founder Raj Goyle

 

Digital technology has transformed every facet of American life. Smartphones, laptops, and extraordinary communications technologies have created social connections, supercharged productivity, and dramatically grown the American economy.
 

However, there is a spreading awareness that for all of the benefits digital technology brings, there are serious negative consequences — especially for our kids. While teen mental health has been on the decline since the widespread adoption of social media, the evidence shows that, since the pandemic, social media use has soared while our kids’ well-being has collapsed. As many researchers, most famously Jonathan Haidt, have made clear, there is strong evidence that social media and smartphones pose a significant danger to our kids. We need urgent reform of our policies around digital technology if we care about protecting our children.

Congress has so far failed to act. Its best attempt, the Kids Online Safety Act, failed to pass the House in December 2024 despite an incredible 91-3 vote in the Senate in July 2024. The issue is now in the hands of states and localities, especially the school districts whose policies effectively govern the waking lives of our children and teens.

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In New York, we have principled leadership – starting with Gov. Hochul – pushing for schools to take action to protect our kids' health and safeguard their freedom to receive education without distraction. However, despite top officials’ statements in favor of phone bans in New York City and State schools, there’s been no action. While appealing, phone bans have sometimes proved challenging to implement — especially in New York City, where we have 1,800 schools in 1,400 buildings.

This is an incredible opportunity for a new organization, Phone Free New York, to serve as a nerve center for activism and a clearing house for innovative policy solutions. We will demand the Legislature do its job and send legislation to the governor’s desk that will solve this problem for parents and student alike. This won’t happen without an outside organization building pressure on decision-makers and developing detailed New York-specific policy solutions. New York City's 2003 smoking ban created a domino effect leading to nationwide change. New York can once again lead on protecting health; when we banned smoking in bars and restaurants, 35 states followed within five years.

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Right now, though, New York is lagging behind. As of January 2025, at least eight states have enacted measures banning or restricting students' use of cell phones in schools. These states are California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia. The policies vary across states, ranging from outright bans to restrictions on usage during instructional time. Additionally, several other states are considering or implementing similar measures, including Arkansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Alabama and Maryland.

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This is rapidly becoming a national, bipartisan movement, with both Republican and Democratic-led states implementing or considering these restrictions. Parents and legislators of all political persuasions are realizing that excessive screen time is deeply detrimental to children’s well-being, in terms of their mental health, social development, and education.
 

States are acting independently without sharing best practices or building on each others' successes. A New York-based initiative could become the hub for a nationwide movement.
 

Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act which restricted the destructive algorithms used by social media platforms to hook our children. I was proud to be key public voice in the coalition that created essential pressure on legislators to pass the bill and providing needed strategic guidance to advocates.

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We can make history yet again. With your help we will.