Pressure is mounting on New York lawmakers to impose statewide restrictions on cell phone use in schools, with union officials, administrators, parents, students, and civil rights leaders demanding action.

“Research has shown that adopting a phone-free school policy is one of the most impactful steps you can take to enhance student educational outcomes, behavior and well-being,” New York State United Teachers Union president Melinda Person said during a Dec. 9 rally at the state Capitol. “We have an opportunity to provide children with an average of seven hours each school day to be fully present and free from the pressures and harms of phones and social media. Now is the time to act on it.”

Person was joined by numerous state lawmakers, school and union officials, child and family advocates, and leaders with the NAACP New York Branch to push for a statewide student cell phone ban in the coming legislative session, the Press-Republican reports.

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“Parents share stories of kids struggling with anxiety and constant connectivity, law enforcement warns us about the role phones play in bullying, viral disruptions and safety risks during emergencies,” Person said.

The coalition at the Capitol pointed to research that shows phone bans improve engagement with teachers and other students, boost socialization and attendance, and result in less discipline and better academic performance.

“We want to create safe, nurturing environments where children can learn, grow and be all they can be,” said Anthony Harmon, president of the NAACP NY and former teacher.

The coalition is calling for a statewide “bell-to-bell” ban that doesn’t require teachers or administrators to police enforcement, while also allowing students access to their phones in the event of an emergency.

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“I think it is incumbent upon the school to develop a policy, a practice where they would allow for emergency situations where parents can get in contact with their students,” Harmon said.

The push to ban student cell phones in New York is the latest development in a surge in student phone bans in school districts across the country in recent years. While many of the bans involve only individual schools or school districts, at least eight states have already approved statewide bans or restrictions, including California, Minnesota, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana.

Legislation is also pending in more than a dozen states to do the same, including Michigan, while others have launched pilot programs to study the issue.

A September analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found “more than half of U.S. states have taken steps to ban or restrict cellphone use in K-12 schools,” Axios reports.

“The resurgence of cellphone bans follows two advisories from the U.S. Surgeon General on the youth mental health crisis and the harmful impacts of social media use and recommendations from UNESCO to limit cellphone use in schools across the world. Unlike many recent political issues, school cellphone ban policies have largely received bipartisan support, and the Biden-Harris administration continues to promote online safety for youth,” KFF reports. “At the same time, research on the effectiveness of cellphone bans is limited, and although multiple states are adopting these bans, challenges remain with enforcement, accommodating exceptions, and equity.”

The health policy nonprofit points to a 2023 survey of adolescents from Gallup that found 51% reported using social media for at least four hours per day, and that use is associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression, exposure to harmful content, body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, and sleep issues.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul inched toward a statewide ban over the summer, launching a “listening tour” across the state to hear from parents and teachers about the proposal, New York Daily News reports.

“It seems to me that the district-by-district approach does not work,” Hochul said during a stop at Guilderland High School in July. “So I don’t anticipate a piecemeal approach will be my approach; I’ll just put that out there.”

Hochul highlighted places like the Schoharie Central School District, where a ban implemented two years ago has reduced fights and improved student performance.

“Three years ago, Schoharie banned cellphones … and it made a much more positive school environment for students,” Schoharie Superintendent Dave Blanchard said at the December rally. “On day one, our teachers noticed students engaged with each other, talking through problems, going into our school counseling office, working out issues rather than trying to solve issues on a cellphone.”

A Schoharie High School senior identified only as Jax told the New York Daily News she “wasn’t happy” about the phone ban in her school at first, but quickly changed her mind.

“I was nervous, I was scared, but by Friday, in just five days my mind was completely changed. I did a total 180,” Jax said, adding that she was better able to connect with teachers and other students without the distraction.

“Socializing is scary, and we use our phones as shields,” Jax said. “Teenagers will hold up their phones, pretend to use them or open a random app just to avoid a social situation. But when the ability to use phones as shields gets removed, socializing becomes normal again and it’s never as scary as I told myself it would be.”

Both of the country’s largest school districts, in New York City and Los Angeles, are working to implement phone bans, with LA’s ban starting in February and NYC’s delayed over concerns from parents about contacting their kids during emergencies.

“If you talk to any individual teachers, they will say get rid of cell phones in the classroom,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers told New York Daily News.

In Michigan, state Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester, introduced legislation in October to ban K-5 students from bringing phones to school, and to ban phone use in higher grades during instructional time.

The legislation, however, faces an uphill battle in a lame duck session that has devolved into chaos and infighting among the Democratic majority. The legislation also faces some resistance from the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and others who want policies to remain local.

“At this time, I would be more inclined for districts to maintain local control,” MASSP Executive Director Wendy Zdeb told Bridge Michigan. “I see districts all over the state taking the action, but that doesn’t mean they all are.”