New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools • Hacker News Board

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#11

Post by brainwad » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:17 PM UTC

SavageBeast wrote: post #2

So just yesterday I'm reading here about the Google "Kids Watch" and how its benefit it that kids "don't need a phone anymore". Now I see this and I can't help but think some Google lobbyist authored a bill (this absolutely does happen), handed it to a staffer in New York and now we're getting a bill that says parents have to buy their kid a Google Kids Watch (since you want your kids location but they cant have a "s…

This has been a campaign for years and other jurisdictions have already passed similar laws. If anything, Google is reacting to the legislative trend, rather than lobbying for it.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#12

Post by jjulius » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:22 PM UTC

SavageBeast wrote: post #10

dangus wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m confused about where this assumption that there is or will be a bill that mandates the purchase of a Google Watch is coming from. This whole essay you wrote is taking that conclusion jump and rolling straight into the worst case scenario.

The bill wont strictly "mandate buying a Google Kids Watch" but it will stipulate a ban on smart phones (iPhones being the dominant device) in schools. The Google Kiddie Crack watch is $200, the Apple Watch can't compete at that price point. Dumb Phones (flip phone) wont offer location tracking the parents can monitor. What option is a parent to choose I wonder? This product seems suspiciously designed for a very spe…

>What option is a parent to choose I wonder?

You do know that there are other alternatives to smartphones besides a "Google Kids Watch", yes?

Edit:

> If passed, schoolchildren will be allowed to carry simple phones that cannot access the internet but do have the capability to send texts...

That's every dumb phone out there, and a far cry from Google cornering some kind of market. Plenty of options available from a variety of vendors and price points.

Maybe go outside, take a walk and get some fresh air for a sec?

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#13

Post by rpcope1 » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:23 PM UTC

Good, I don't see any good reason for kids to have smartphones in school. If someone needs to get a hold of the kid, the old fashioned way of just calling the school still works just fine.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#14

Post by tootie » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:24 PM UTC

This just feels like more social panic pandering from Hochul. I sincerely doubt this will have any appreciable affect on kids well-being. My older kid's high school just leans way in. They use phones in class for tasks. They watch videos, do research, use calculator aops, Google Classroom. The teachers who won't answer email are the ones who are just being stubborn.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#15

Post by larvaetron » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:24 PM UTC

I still don't understand why they were ever allowed in the first place. I went to public school in the 00s and if you got caught with your phone out in class, it would be confiscated until the end of the day. Repeat offenders would need their parents to come up to the school to get the phone back.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#16

Post by leetharris » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:24 PM UTC

This needs to happen on a country-wide scale.

Our children are getting destroyed by the attention economy. I tried to setup a mobile game the other day and I immediately deleted it because every single popup was a psychologist-optimized addiction machine designed to suck every bit of dopamine from undeveloped children.

This is the #1 issue plaguing children in my opinion and it will only get worse without regulation.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#17

Post by sam_bristow » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:28 PM UTC

Titan2189 wrote: post #7

It's been implemented recently in New Zealand and has been pretty successful. https://www.education.govt.nz/school/digital-technology/cell...

I think it's a bit early to call it a success. The rules came in to effect less than a month ago. That's ~18 school days.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#18

Post by SoftTalker » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:29 PM UTC

larvaetron wrote: post #15

I still don't understand why they were ever allowed in the first place. I went to public school in the 00s and if you got caught with your phone out in class, it would be confiscated until the end of the day. Repeat offenders would need their parents to come up to the school to get the phone back.

Same when my kids were in school.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#19

Post by kylehotchkiss » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:29 PM UTC

This is wonderful. Make it National. Then collective elderly Us can rest assured the generation that's running the country received a "proper" education closer to what many of us experienced since we were in school before smartphones were everywhere.

Re: New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools

#20

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, May 30, 2024, 8:30 PM UTC

leetharris wrote: post #16

This needs to happen on a country-wide scale. Our children are getting destroyed by the attention economy. I tried to setup a mobile game the other day and I immediately deleted it because every single popup was a psychologist-optimized addiction machine designed to suck every bit of dopamine from undeveloped children. This is the #1 issue plaguing children in my opinion and it will only get worse without regulation.

I'm not sure how much this will help, given how many parents I see allowing their children to be glued to screens outside of school, from incredibly early ages.