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Gov. Hochul says she’s open to limiting screen time for younger students in NY schools
By
Jessica Gould
Published Jun 1, 2026
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Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By
Jessica Gould
Published Jun 1, 2026
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Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she’s open to the possibility of imposing limits on screen time in schools, citing the success of the smartphone ban and growing calls to curb technology in classrooms.
Hochul said she’s heard from parents and educators who are especially concerned about early elementary school children using devices like individual laptops and iPads.
“I’m learning a lot, as a parent and grandparent, and some of the early schools are saying, ‘Not for the younger ones, keep the kids off,’” she said at an event celebrating the first year of the smartphone ban at a middle school in Brooklyn.
“My gut tells me that’s the way to go,” she added. “We don’t have an answer right now, but it’s definitely worth looking [for an] answer.”
She said she’d approach screen limits the way she handled the smartphone ban, by taking time to speak with experts, educators and other stakeholders first, “gathering information … and coming up with a really solid policy.”
Hochul’s comments come as momentum grows against screens in schools.
Over the weekend, the state teachers union passed a resolution calling for the elimination of “one-to-one” screen use through second grade, including laptops, iPads, and online assessments – with some exceptions for translation and special education. The union also called for a ban on chatbots and said any AI use in school must be closely supervised.
"Educators are not anti-technology. We are pro-child," union president Melinda Person said in a statement, adding that any technology used in schools “must actually serve the students.”
The resolution echoes comments made by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, last week. She also called for a ban on all screens through second grade, and a ban on AI chatbots through elementary school.
Weingarten’s remarks represented a shift from less than a year ago, when she touted a $23 million partnership with tech giants Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic for a training institute housed at the headquarters of New York City’s teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers. She said the union is currently negotiating privacy standards with the companies, and expressed willingness to “walk away” from the funding without sufficient protections.
Parents have also been mobilizing. Last week, parent activists partnered with the superintendent in Upper Manhattan’s District 6 for a weeklong effort to reduce screens in school and at home. The Community Education Council in Manhattan’s District 4 recently passed a resolution calling for screen limits in schools.
At the same time, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels signaled plans to take a more cautious approach, saying that officials had “missed the mark” with their initial presentation of draft guidelines for artificial intelligence. In a speech at Bank Street College of Education, he said city officials have to assure parents they “understand the dangers that exist” with AI, a technology he called “the most invasive we have seen.” Samuels’ comments were first reported by the education news site Chalkbeat.
The board of education in Los Angeles has called for screen limits per grade, and several states have passed legislation to curb computer use in schools.
Hochul held a roundtable with students and teachers at Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick on Monday to discuss the impact of the smartphone ban. She said, in a study of 600 New York educators, almost 80% reported positive effects.
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Kathy Hochul
Politics
ai
education
new york
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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