NYC Mayoral Candidate Criticized for Using Children in Campaign Videos

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has received criticism for featuring children in his campaign videos shortly after expressing support for the city's new classroom cellphone ban. The 33-year-old candidate appeared at I.S. 5 in Queens to praise the ban aimed at protecting student mental health, while simultaneously posting on social media about how he considered himself fortunate to have grown up before social media affected childhood interactions. Critics noted this apparent contradiction when his campaign subsequently published videos featuring young children endorsing his candidacy.