HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania high school students told the governor and attorney general that help is needed to navigate harmful online deepfakes and misinformation, and to also avoid social media distractions throughout the school day.
But, during a public roundtable on Thursday, they stopped short of supporting a proposed law to enact a bell-to-bell ban on smartphones across the commonwealth.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, were the top state officials interacting with a panel of five students, three parents and two educators at a community center in Chester County.
The parents all had children targeted through sensitive deepfake imagery created using artificial intelligence, something Sunday’s office has sought to investigate and prosecute, along with the dissemination of child pornography, be it real or artificially generated.
“This is an absolute priority for us,” Sunday said of online and public safety initiatives.
Lawmakers have paid heightened attention to online safety in the 2025-26 legislative session. A ban on AI-generated child pornography had already been approved in late 2024. This session, lawmakers have lent bipartisan support to enact a new ban on digital forgery.
The state Senate adopted a bill seeking to expand mandated reporting to include criminal counts of sharing AI-generated child pornography, and this week also approved a bill seeking to regulate interactions with AI-powered chatbot companions, with particular emphasis on minors. Both bills await action in the state House.
To counter online exposure and help boost classroom engagement, Shapiro urged lawmakers during his annual budget address on Feb. 3 to pass a law enacting a statewide bell-to-bell ban, with exemptions, on students’ smartphones and similar devices during school days.
“My kids hate me for this but I do think that it makes sense,” Shapiro said.
The state Senate cast a near-unanimous vote the day after the budget address to support Senate Bill 1014 and institute a ban. This bill, too, has moved to the state House but hasn’t yet received consideration.
The students on the panel all expressed how phones are distracting and seemed in support of separating students from personal online devices during the school day. When Shapiro called for a show of hands in support of a ban, however, the students kept their arms to their sides.
“When you’re in class and you’re sitting on your phone,” said Andrew Schumann, a junior at Devon Preparatory School in Devon, “you’re not listening to your teachers. When you don’t have your phone, you don’t have anything to do in class, you might as well listen to your teachers.”
But Schumann kept his hand lowered when the mock vote was called. So, too, did Julian Otero, a sophomore at Henderson High School in West Chester.
Otero had expressed that harmful deepfake images can exacerbate issues a particular student is already struggling with. He supported the concept of prosecuting such a crime, noting a case where nude images of high schoolers were bought and sold, and seeking jail time for offenders.
His high school enforces a ban on smartphones during the school day, he said, but he didn’t support a statewide law.
“We already have it, I just don’t want anyone else to experience (a ban),” Otero said before telling Shapiro he thought the ban at his school was beneficial.
Hannah Dean, a junior at East High School in West Chester, raised concerns not about losing access for casual use or even academic purposes, but for a need for a cellphone in the event of an in-school emergency.
“I think it’s really unfortunate that you have to think about that, but I think that’s a really fair response,” Shapiro said.
Upon prompting from the governor, Rep. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, said he’d be open to revising legislation on a cellphone ban to require that devices be stored out of sight but not out of reach.
Megan Dorfman, a parent from Radnor Township, stressed that while phones can be useful in an emergency, they also “can be used as a weapon” in the sense of creating deepfakes and more.
The full discussion lasted about 90 minutes and touched on myriad issues. There was universal agreement on the panel that an online toolkit for AI literacy launched by the Shapiro administration was valuable, with Shapiro urging panelists, especially the students, to suggest potential revisions to make it more effective.
Audrey Greenberg, a parent also from Radnor Township, said more directives are needed to inform parents about how to respond and report potential crimes and harassment online.
Dean said education is needed, too, to help students navigate the differences between real and fake images along with inconsistencies in AI generation.
Evangeline Kennedy, a Conestoga High School student, said that lessons around AI in school are mostly on how to use it in academics. She said there aren’t many conversations about potential dangers in other uses. She suggested school assemblies be held to better educate students.
Greenberg stressed that, in her own experience, educators and school leaders would benefit from similar education, especially in how to respond to illicit use of AI.