Screen time opponents target 1-on-1 devices in schools after success with cellphone bans

Personal laptops, Chromebooks and iPads are on the chopping block in many classrooms as parents and advocates look to expand efforts to limit technology in schools.

Despite millions of dollars spent by districts before and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic to give students 1-to-1 personal devices, the tides are turning as some worry about the distractions and negative learning effects from sitting in front of a screen all day.  

The fight is an expansion from those who worked to get cellphones banned from schools. Over the past five years, more than 30 states have enacted legislation that requires schools to create policies around cellphones in classrooms, with some districts going as far as forcing students to put their devices in a pouch they can’t access all day.  

But the device battle may prove more difficult due to the costs and perceived benefits by others of preparing children for a world where technology is used in almost every industry. It’s compounded by state tests having moved online, given widespread use of 1-to-1 devices.

“I think the pendulum has definitely swung way too far in one direction. COVID had a lot to do with that, but it actually started well before then, and the sort of overreliance on screens in our schools has just changed the very nature of what it means to go to school, and that’s been problematic on several fronts,” said Jodi Carreon, a leader with Distraction-Free Schools California.

“There’s a lot of districts that don’t even really have a solid handle on the amount of time and how these [devices] are actually being used in schools, so they’re sort of taking that first step of just figuring out how they’re used, how much time is being spent, and then working with parents on figuring out a better path forward,” she added. 

Many districts invested in Chromebooks and laptops a decade or longer ago.

But what started out as shared Chromebooks that stayed in classroom carts quickly turned to 1-to-1 devices that could be taken home, especially during and after the pandemic.

David Law, superintendent for Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota, said his district invested in personal devices 15 years ago. They are available for all grades, although younger students cannot take the technology home.  

While a vast majority of parents do not push back on the device policy, there are around 20 percent to 30 percent who have expressed concerns, Law said, and a smaller fraction that refuse the devices for their students.  

But he pointed to benefits, such as the up-to-date information you get with the internet compared with textbooks that are outdated quickly, along with the ability for teachers to easily reuse assignments and monitor student progress online.  

“The problem we have with our kids is the majority of our secondary students don’t use their locker anymore, so not bringing a device home requires them to have a place at school to leave it. We can work with parents who want that. It’s harder, and the other part of it is most of the work that kids are doing is much easier to do on technology,” Law said. 

He added that while the district can offer textbooks and other nondigital materials, teachers post assignments online and students submit work that way.  

“So, it is for the majority of our students, their desired platform is technology,” he added. 

The organized movement to push back on school-issued devices is relatively new but growing rapidly. 

Anya Meksin, deputy director of Schools Beyond Screens, said its Los Angeles-based group grew from a dozen people to more than 2,000 in more than a year, with inquiries on how to start chapters growing in other parts of the country. 

Meksin said she was surprised by the quick success the group had in conversations with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest public school district in the country. 

“Three board members introduced a sweeping resolution to reform tech at LAUSD, a resolution based largely on our advocacy … and even a lot of the language that we had been using. And we’ve also seen progress from the administration on new guidance to teachers about engaging with parents who want to minimize digital use for their children and how schools have a responsibility to engage with those parents and provide meaningful alternatives for those children,” she added. 

Those pushing for limited screen use acknowledge places where technology is needed, such as teaching students how to type, graphic design or other computer-based knowledge.  

But they argue analog learning for core subjects, such as reading and math, especially among younger children, is superior.

“If the goal is learning, then most situations, yes, analog learning is better than digital learning in almost every situation we’ve looked at,” said Jared Cooney Horvath, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and author of “The Digital Delusion.” 

“I think you can keep tech. It’ll just be very specific in when you’re using it, and most of the time it’ll be, teach about the tech, as opposed to using it to teach other skills through it,” he added. 

Some districts are pushing back, arguing that with the right protocols in place and teacher training on screen use, the personal devices are helpful tools. 

“Anytime there’s a movement towards anything, there’s going to be adjustments that need to be made,” said Nick McGurk, assistant principal of Streator Township High School No. 40 in Illinois. “So, I’m very hesitant to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have gone back and ordered some more traditional textbooks, especially some of our core areas, but that does not mean that the Chromebook is not integrated into the curriculum.” 

There are important boundaries McGurk said his school put in place to ensure the devices weren’t just a distraction, such as blocking games on the school’s Wi-Fi and giving teachers the ability to watch the devices closely.  

“You have to be able to invest in those types of technologies to help the kids stay on task. But it’s also the classroom management issue as well, because a good classroom teacher doesn’t just have them on the Chromebook the entire time,” he added.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Bessent says order requiring banks to collect citizenship information ‘in ...

Rogan cracks up over Trump’s explanation of AI Jesus image

GOP senators grow uncomfortable with Trump rhetoric, endgame for Iran

Former Biden official says Trump’s blockade ‘might be helpful’ in ...

TMZ launches DC bureau, tracks down Graham, Cruz on first day

Senate GOP divided over Viktor Orbán's loss in Hungary

Cases of drug-resistant infection that causes diarrhea are rising: What to know

Chinese tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz, testing Trump’s blockade

Trump’s Federal Reserve pick discloses more than $130M in assets ahead of ...

Trump denies AI Jesus post was removed due to conservative backlash

A lawsuit against a Black Lives Matter activist could chill all of our speech

Spanberger signs bill ending tax breaks for Confederate groups

Swalwell, Gonzales exits shift spotlight to other embattled lawmakers

Miller on Swalwell: Dems have ‘blackmail files’ for when it suits them

China’s electric vehicles are coming to North America at a terrible time

Joe Biden to deliver remarks alongside portrait unveiling at alma mater ...

US military says no ships made it past blockade in first day

Vermont’s return-to-office blunder is costing the state millions

© The Hill