Dr. Jonathan Haidt: Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Ban Would Give New Hampshire Kids 'A Real-Life Childhood'

CONCORD, NH - On June 17, 2025, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Anxious Generation", endorsed Governor Kelly Ayotte's bell-to-bell cell phone ban proposal and urged the Legislature to send it to the Governor's desk.

"I am thrilled to see New Hampshire taking amongst the strongest efforts in the nation to protect our children's futures in considering NH SB 206," said Dr. Haidt. "New Hampshire's policy mandating bell-to-bell device separation will help bring conversation and laughter back to the hallways of schools across the state."

Dr. Haidt continued, "Social media is designed to steal the attention of kids and teens who are at pivotal stages of their mental development. The one place where we can truly safeguard their developing minds is schools. New Hampshire has an opportunity to give their kids a real-life childhood."

Dr. Jonathan Haidt (pronounced "height") is a social psychologist at New York University's Stern School of Business. Since 2018, he has been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health. His most recent book, "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness", inspired the Governor's effort to ban cell phones in schools.