Students are banding together against the ban — in the most millennial way possible.
Displeased Gen Zs are keeping the lines of communication open amid new cell phone bans in schools, chatting with one another via Google Docs on their laptops as a substitute for text messaging.
The crafty hack comes just weeks after at least 18 states established bell-to-bell bans on cell phones for the 2025-2026 academic year, including New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul described the phones as “distraction devices” and unveiled a campaign to promote the ban, featuring a “Sesame Street”-style mascot named “Frankie Focus.”
But while sneaky teens now look to be doing schoolwork with their laptops open, they’re still chatting away just as they would with a phone.
“A bunch of high school kids are creating a Google Doc with their friends, they all have real-time access to it, and they just type into it during class time,” Valerie Elizabeth Dickinson, a teacher and content creator, claimed.
“So, they’ve basically reinvented the AOL chat room,” she added, likening the youngsters’ old-school stunt to the Y2K-era platform, which allowed dial-up internet users to virtually engage in group text conversations on their computers.
And folks over age 30 — many of whom survived most of middle school and high school without cell phones during the early aughts — are getting a kick out of Gen Z’s throwback hack.
Dickinson revealed the hack in a trending TikTok, which sparked amused reactions from millennials.
“Wait until they rediscover passing notes,” teased a commenter
“Chat rooms are back!” another exclaimed with glee.
On social media, other teens have also been sharing how they use Google Docs to get their gabbing done.
“[Your] cell phone rule was never going to stop me from texting my [best friend],” a tech-savvy teen wrote in the caption of a TikTok vid, featuring the Google Doc thread she shares with a pal.
“Can’t ever silence us, queens,” wrote a separate, but equally rebellious, teenybopper in another Google Docs praise post, captioning the clip, “F that phone ban.”
The smartphone ban across the Empire State took effect on Sept. 4, with the move dividing parents, kids, and teachers.
The Post previously reported that some parents were worried about being unable to contact their kids in case of an emergency.
Shockingly, it’s been warmly received by students, including Upper West Side middle schooler Maximilian “Max” Davidge, 12, who recently told The Post: “I actually like the idea because if everyone is on their phone when the teacher is teaching, then no one will learn anything in school.”
Educators have also praised the change, with Brooklyn Preparatory High School history teacher, Mr. Johnson, saying: “The cellphone ban has transformed my class … I haven’t had kids this engaged in years.”
