Zohran Mamdani is taking heat for using school kids in his online campaign ads even after noting how "fortunate" he was to enjoy a childhood free of social media.

The 33-year-old New York City mayoral candidate, who has built his brand on viral content, was criticized by Instagram followers after he featured interviews with two kids promoting his bid for City Hall. 

The criticism also came as New York City launched a statewide classroom cellphone ban aimed at protecting student mental health, and ahead of the mayoral election. On Thursday, Mamdani appeared outside I.S. 5 in Queens, praising the new cellphone ban while welcoming families back for the first day of the school year. 

On Instagram, he also shared a post and contrasted his own childhood with today’s digital reality, writing:

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"I consider myself fortunate—when I was a student, it was before social media had cannibalized the way that kids interact with one another," he wrote. The post was paired with a back-to-school message about "hope and new beginnings."

But just days later, Mamdani’s campaign accounts featured the two young kids speaking directly to Mamdani and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. 

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In one clip, a girl confidently endorsed him; in another, a boy offered support while Warren sat nearby.

"How old is she? So articulate, but she’s so tiny," one follower said about the little girl.

Critics wondered why Mamdani was using children in his social media ads even as he decried the effects of cellphones and social media on children.

"Why are you using kids to promote your political agenda?" complained another follower commenting on the post featuring the boy's interview.

One critic wrote: "He can express his personal opinion and promote whomever he wants, using the kids to do it is unacceptable." 

Mamdani's posts featuring the two children also came days before New York Governor Kathy Hochul defended the new cellphone restrictions, arguing they will reduce distractions, improve mental health and even protect children during emergencies by preventing location-sharing. 

Hochul discussed the state’s ban on cellphone use in public schools on "Fox News Sunday."

The new law prohibits smartphones and smartwatches during school hours, except for medical or educational use.

Mamdani, who unseated a longtime incumbent in the Democratic primary, is campaigning on sweeping progressive promises, from a $30 minimum wage to a rent freeze. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment.

This year's Burning Man festival was reportedly marred by a string of shocking incidents, from a surprise birth to a possible electrocution, in addition to the homicide of a Russian national at the famous gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

A Utah couple who attended Burning Man, held this year from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1, left the festival as new parents and did not even know they were expecting. 

Kayla Thompson, 37, woke up in their recreational vehicle on Aug. 27 with abdominal pain she mistook for cramps, FOX 2 reported, citing her sister-in-law Lacey Paxman.

Thompson, who said she had no idea she was pregnant, gave birth in their RV to their daughter, Aurora, who weighed 3 pounds and 9.7 ounces. Thompson's family said she had experienced a cryptic pregnancy, a rare condition where pregnancy goes unnoticed until late in the term or delivery, according to FOX 2.

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Good Samaritans at the festival rushed to assist with the baby's delivery, including an OB-GYN who responded to the scene so quickly that he arrived in his underwear, FOX 2 reported.

"It just shows like nobody cared about getting things in place," Paxman told FOX 2. 
"…Nobody cared what they were wearing or, you know, not wearing. They were just there to help this beautiful miracle, you know, come together so beautifully."

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In another startling incident, James "JP" Patrick was meditating on the desert floor on Burning Man's final night when he was reportedly struck by a Tesla Cybertruck. He was airlifted out of the desert and underwent emergency surgery. His wife, Jade Patrick, said she expects to face a $50,000 medical bill for the helicopter transport, news outlet SFGate reported.

Another man was similarly airlifted from this year's Burning Man after he reportedly stepped in a puddle of water and was possibly electrocuted. 

He was brought to an external medical provider for additional treatment, FOX 11 reported.

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The incidents have made headlines as authorities continue to investigate the death of Vadim Kruglov, a 37-year-old Russian national who was found "lying in a pool of blood" at the event. Officials have indicated that his death appears to be an isolated incident.

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen's office told Fox News Digital there was "no update" on the case on Sunday. Police have not yet named a suspect in the killing.

The annual Burning Man gathering draws tens of thousands of attendees, turning the desert into a temporary city filled with themed camps, massive art installations and ceremonial fires. Last year, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office reported that 28 people had been arrested at the event, up from 13 arrests in 2023, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

Burning Man organizers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.