Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling for New York state schools to ban cell phones bell-to-bell.

Hochul is asking the Legislature to include the policy in her state budget.

Speaking at the New York State Capitol on Tuesday with an army of bill supporters, Hochul said this is long overdue.

“Childhoods have been stolen by a cell phone that has become all-encompassing,” she said. “That has been the primary focus for years now, and that has to stop.”

Hochul’s proposal would require schools to have the policy in place throughout the school day, including lunch, breaks and study halls.

“During break time, the focus should be on deepening relationships, creating human connections – whether it’s in the hallway, whether it’s study hall, whether it’s a lunch,” said Hochul. “This has been lost.”

Hochul hopes a cell phone ban in school would improve students’ mental health.

“We are seeing the decline in mental health of our children like we could never have predicted,” Hochul said. “Whether you’re in middle school or high school, there’s enough stress. But to have to worry about whether you’re being mocked out on social media, there’s a gathering that people are excluding you and people are mocking out your clothes. These are real stories I’ve heard from students.”

She also said it’s frustrating for the adults.

“Teachers are frustrated because they want to help the children succeed. Parents want their children to succeed, but we’ve set them up for failure by allowing this to continue so long,” she said.

Schools that follow through with the ban must have a way for parents to contact their kids. Schools would also have to develop their own plans to store the phones.

There would also be exceptions for kids with individualized education plans, and those who need an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition.