Earlier this month, the Anxious Generation Movement released a Childhood Index rating. This index looked at all 50 states. It evaluated laws about childhood independence, social media age limits, and technology rules.
New York and Utah were the only states called "national leaders" in this index.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York said this is a big achievement. She has worked hard on it during her time in office.
Hochul said she uses her perspective as New York's first mom Governor. She feels driven to act because she sees the whole state as part of her family. She has protective instincts for children. After the pandemic, she spent a year listening to what was happening to teenagers across the state.
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Start Your News DetoxThis led her to support many child safety efforts statewide.
New York's Approach to Youth Mental Health
New York's initiatives include mental health first aid training for all high schoolers. There are also "unplug and play" programs to encourage childhood independence. A new law requires social media platforms with addictive feeds to add warning labels. Another law restricts these addictive social media features for users under 18. The state also implemented "distraction-free schools," which are bell-to-bell phone bans. These bans started in the 2025-2026 school year.
Hochul noted that New York passed laws to challenge big tech companies. She said these laws prioritize children over company profits. She added that tech companies claimed they couldn't make changes, but they did when mandated.
These new laws include default privacy settings for children set at the highest level. They also disable artificial intelligence features for kids.
Mental health first aid training is now available to all 10th graders in New York. This includes over 180,000 young people. Hochul explained that every teenager will learn to cope and identify warning signs in friends and classmates.
*Caption: Phone-free school policies went into effect in the 2025-2026 school year. Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
The Impact of Phone-Free Schools
Hochul believes the phone-free schools effort has been the most impactful policy. It started in September. She called it the "biggest game changer" for children's lives, saying it has been liberating.
She observed that children are "acting like kids again." They are playing cards, Jenga, and bingo during lunch and study hall. Some are even bringing old transistor radios.
The cell phone ban faced challenges. Parents worried about reaching their children. School administrators were concerned about the logistics. Students, naturally, were not keen on the new policy.
However, Hochul believes the positive outcomes justified the struggle.
A survey by the governor’s office gathered 350 responses from schools with smartphone restrictions. It found that 92% reported a smooth transition to distraction-free learning. Also, 83% reported more positive classrooms and better student engagement. Furthermore, 75% of teachers noted an improvement in their teaching effectiveness.
*Caption: Gov. Hochul kicks off the distraction-free schools initiative in September 2025. Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Hochul concluded that this is one of the most successful societal changes in New York in a short time. She hopes to see this policy adopted nationwide.
New York is not alone in implementing phone-free rules. The Childhood Index shows that over 40 states have some form of screen-free policy. Many of these states are seeing success. For example, one Kentucky school district saw students checking out more library books. Other states are also seeing small improvements in test scores.
For Hochul, the phone-free zones are a major achievement. They also show the effectiveness of the $1 billion invested in addressing the youth mental health crisis in New York.
Hochul expressed pride in New York and Utah being recognized for focusing on children's mental health. She wants to show other states that these changes are possible.
Deep Dive & References
A Childhood Index rating - Anxious Generation Movement classified as “national leaders.” - Axios, 2026 mental health first aid training - Governor.NY.gov “unplug and play” initiatives - Governor.NY.gov put warning labels on their apps - Governor.NY.gov restrict those addictive social media features for users under 18 - Governor.NY.gov “distraction-free schools” - Governor.NY.gov a survey conducted by the governor’s office - Governor.NY.gov students checking out more library books - Good Good Good modest improvements in test scores - Chalkbeat, 2025 $1 billion catalyzed to confront the youth mental health crisis - Governor.NY.gov
