Some Parents Don’t Want Their Kids to Use Tech at School. But Districts Are Pushing Back
Parents say school devices are distracting students, while the district says hundreds of opt-outs would undermine curriculum delivery.
- Over 600 residents in the Lower Merion School District signed a petition demanding parents' ability to opt children out of digital device use, but the district rejected the request, stating technology is essential to the curriculum.
- Student Joaquin called it "completely unfair" to expect children to self-regulate addictive devices, expressing concern about the "atrophy of my peers' thinking" caused by AI tools like ChatGPT.
- During a board meeting on Monday, over 100 protesters wearing "Screens Down, Pencils Up" buttons voiced opposition; second-grader Lillian Keshet rejected Google Docs' writing suggestions, and 15-year-old Elliot Campbell urged strict screen limits for younger grades.
- Superintendent Frank Ranelli stated the district is blocking problematic websites and considering new restrictions, though Lower Merion School Board member Anna Shurak maintained that technology remains essential to education.
- Nationwide, at least 14 states have proposed screen time legislation with four—Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, and Iowa—already passing laws; Los Angeles bans screens until second grade while Lower Merion integrates devices from kindergarten through eighth grade.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Parents urge the Lower Merion School District to allow students to opt out of school-issued devices
Parents in Montgomery County attended a Lower Merion School District meeting to demand an option for students to opt out of the district’s one-to-one technology program.
MontCo school district pushes back as some parents don't want kids using tech
For high school senior Aliyah Pack, getting distracted during school is the norm. Kids in her Pennsylvania school district use iPads starting in kindergarten, switch to Chromebooks in second grade and get their own MacBooks in eighth grade. Aliyah has ADHD, and finds it difficult to concentrate when she’s learning from a screen. She’ll watch Netflix in class on her school laptop, hiding her earbuds behind her long, curly hair. “It’s very hard to…
Associated Press News
Some parents don't want their kids to use tech at school. But districts are pushing back
Parents across the country who are worried about excessive screen time in schools are lobbying educators to go back to pencils and paper.
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