Teachers, Not Tablets: School Screen Time Is Harming Our Kids

Students today are struggling to achieve proficiency in basic reading and math skills. According to the latest data from the Nation’s Report card, one-third of 8th graders “are not even reading at the NAEP Basic level—a greater percentage than ever before.” Even Harvard now offers a remedial math course for students who possess a “lack of foundational algebra skills.”

These declines are often blamed on COVID, and while school closures didn’t do students many favors, the educational declines began almost a decade prior. Research by Psychologist Jean Twenge has shown that the learning loss began in the early 2010's. Not only is this the same time frame that smartphones became ubiquitous for the under 18 crowd, but it is also the start of 1:1 programs (one device to one student) in schools nationwide.

As early as 2018, Matt Miles and Joe Clement, authors of Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse is Making Our Kids Dumber wrote, “actual evidence presented by real social scientists overwhelmingly favors the conclusion that digital technologies are bad for kids in almost every conceivable way.” In the modern school building, lockers full of books have been abandoned in favor of laptops and eyes once focused on teachers are now transfixed on tablets.

For parents who are rightly concerned about the negative effects of screen time, the school-issued device is a formidable opponent. Tablets and laptops come loaded full of EdTech (“education” technology) platforms, and parents are frequently in the dark as to how much screen time their children are receiving during the day and what, if anything, can be done.

Not only is the amount of screen time a problem, but there is good reason to be concerned about the safety and efficacy around EdTech apps. A study of 663 K-12 US schools by Internet Safety Labs shows, “Of the top 25 mandatory [for school] apps, 56% were scored Do Not Use” and “96% of edtech apps are unsafe for students.”

Less Tablet Time, More Teacher Time

Parents should advocate for less school-mandated screen time for their students by applying these four simple steps:

1. Talk to your child’s teacher and ask a lot of questions! Find out when, why, and how often your student is using a tablet or laptop in the classroom. Are screens offered on indoor recess days? If students finish their work early, are they “rewarded” with the opportunity to scroll? Can required power point presentations instead be done on poster board? Kindly ask for alternatives such as printed materials or textbooks be provided whenever possible, including district-mandated testing. Share studies showing that handwriting increases learning. Good teachers want students to learn, and most will work with parents to figure out practical solutions. In my personal experience of opting my then 2nd grader out of EdTech, his teacher reported that after my son was no longer offered an iPad for independent reading time, other students began asking for physical books as well. Sometimes, a simple request can have positive impacts on multiple students.
2. Request that homework not be completed on a laptop or tablet. It’s okay to tell your child’s teacher about your screen time rules at home and ask that they are respected as it relates to homework. Instead of a typed paper being emailed to a teacher by midnight, explain that you’d prefer your child to handwrite his or her essay. If legible handwriting is an issue, keep in mind that your child won’t improve this skill, if they don’t have practice.
3. Tell your child’s school that you will not be providing a personal device during the school day. While many states have enacted legislation to ban the use of cell phones or personal devices, like iPads or laptops, during the school day, there’s still work to be done nationwide. If your son or daughter is in a school where personal devices are allowed, or sadly, even encouraged, let the school know that your child will not be participating in this activity. In some instances, schools have encouraged students to bring a device for “note-taking,” but these devices end up being a distraction at minimum and a gateway to dangerous content that can be instantaneously passed from student to student with a tap on a screen.
4. Find a friend for support and don’t feel discouraged. Asking for change is difficult for all of us. Try to identify a friendly ally as you submit your requests. This could be another parent, your child’s teacher who feels shackled by district requirements, an administrator, or guidance counselor. Even Hugh Grant (yes that Hugh Grant!) has publicly called out his children’s school for too much screen time. He has recently begun a campaign in the UK to ban laptops and tablets from the classroom, calling on parents to work together toward this goal. He believes, and I would agree, that parent advocacy is the best way to enact quick change for our children. Be encouraged that in Sweden, schools have already returned to the time-tested traditional teaching methods of using books, pencils, and paper. Pointing this out to others will encourage more parents join you in advocating for students.

We can rebound from the EdTech failures inflicted on students, but we cannot wait for somebody else to advocate on behalf of our own children. Role models abound, such as Emily Cherkin, The ScreenTime Consultant, who told me, 

The only ingredient parents need to make a difference right now is courage. You don't have to be an expert; you don't have to know all the facts and stats; you don't need to have been doing this work for years: Right now, we have an opportunity to fight for teachers and children, resist the manipulations of EdTech and AI evangelists, and protect the democratic institutions. It's that serious. 

If we are going to have a society of well-educated individuals, schools must pull back on the amount of screen time in the classroom.

Emily Harrison is a writer, advocate, and speaker on digital media and family. She is a Fellow with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Ambassador for the Phone Free Schools Movement, and ScreenStrong, and member of Fairplay’s Screen Time Action Network. She blogs weekly at DearChristianParent.Substack.com.