Sen Gounardes: NYC's New Rules Limiting Tech in Schools Are a Crucial Step, But We Have More to Do
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 2, 2026
New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes issued the following statement in response to New York City’s announcement that it will impose new limits on the use of tech in schools:
"Tech companies have forced their way into every corner of our kids' lives, with big promises of benefits but little evidence to back them up. Enough is enough. New York City's new rules are an important step toward ensuring our kids' needs come before Big Tech's profits, and I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels for working to give our children the education they deserve.
"We have more to do. To ensure learning truly comes first, we need comprehensive, statewide regulations that put thoughtful guardrails around the use of tech in schools. That includes stricter screen time limits for young students, restrictions on addictive social media apps on school-issued devices, and robust privacy and safety protections when kids do use tech in class. My FOCUS Act creates rules of the road to protect kids and ensure teachers have the tools to effectively do what they do best: teach. I'll continue to fight for a world where tech serves our needs, not the other way around."
Background:
Senator Gounardes’ Fostering Optimal Classroom Use of Screens (FOCUS) Act would create thoughtful, holistic guardrails on the use of tech in classrooms, and comes in the wake of a rapidly growing ed tech industry selling everything from computer-based lessons and educational chatbots to AI-powered android teaching assistants.
In recent years, Senator Gounardes has passed several pieces of legislation designed to hold tech corporations accountable and ensure digital safety, including the SAFE For Kids Act, the New York Child Data Protection Act, social media warning labels, the Stop Online Predators Act/Safe By Design Act, and the RAISE Act.
Press Contact:
Billy Richling
Communications Director
State Senator Andrew Gounardes
###