[New York Diary] New York State Also Imposes 'Smartphone Ban' in Schools

Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates imposed a 'smartphone ban' on his children until the age of 14. Although Gates is an IT genius, he minimized his children's exposure to digital devices while they were growing up. He strictly prohibited the use of smartphones by his children even during dinner time. This was largely influenced by the Gates family's educational approach, which focused on teaching 'how to think.' Gates' father, who was a lawyer, kept the TV away and encouraged reading books to help Gates develop independent thinking skills.

Smartphone use among children and adolescents is a major headache not only at home but also in school education settings. Students often cannot put down their smartphones even during class, disrupting the learning environment. According to the Pew Research Center, about 70% of high school teachers and about one-third of middle school teachers identified smartphone use by students as one of the biggest problems causing distractions in class. In addition, the social networking services (SNS) that students mainly use on their smartphones are particularly controversial. Last year, Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, released a report stating that SNS seriously harms the mental health of children and adolescents. Indicators related to depression, anxiety, suicide, and loneliness are all rising simultaneously due to SNS. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate among 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 57% between 2007 and 2018.

In response, New York State has taken a strong stance against students' smartphone use on school grounds. Governor Kathy Hochul is gathering opinions on a plan to completely ban smartphone use in public schools across the state. Last month, Governor Hochul became the first to sign a bill requiring parents to control their children's SNS use. The bill stipulates that SNS platforms must not expose users under 18 to addictive content without parental consent. Building on this, Governor Hochul now aims to prevent students from using smartphones on school premises. Discussions are underway to ban internet-enabled smartphone use in all public schools in New York State and allow only phones capable of calls and texts.

The ban on smartphone use in schools is already spreading across the United States. Earlier, Los Angeles (LA) passed a law last month prohibiting students from using smartphones on school grounds. In New York City, one-third of public schools require students to submit their phones in lockable pouches upon arrival and return them when leaving. As this movement spreads, a company called Yondr, which provides related services, generated $2.1 million in government contracts in 2023?ten times more than two years ago. The effectiveness of the smartphone ban has also been partially confirmed. According to Bloomberg, KIPP NYC College Prep High School, which banned smartphone use on campus, saw an improvement in students' academic achievement within less than a year of implementing the measure. The debate over teenage smartphone use remains heated even in the United States. Although it has been 17 years since the iPhone, which opened the smartphone market, was released, the controversy over smartphone use in schools still seems to be a common global challenge that is not easily resolved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.