Tech weary parents call for 'Screens Down, Pencils Up' but U.S. schools are pushing back

"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 get into the mindset of being in school," Aliyah said."

"Her mother saw her grades were falling and asked the school to take away her laptop. But she was told that wasn't possible. Across the country, parents are voicing concerns about excessive screen time in schools and lobbying educators to go back to pencil and paper. In places like Lower Merion Township, where Aliyah goes to high school, some are taking it even further."

"Over 600 people in the affluent Philadelphia suburb have signed a petition asking to preserve parents' ability to opt their children out of using digital devices during the school day. The public school district has pushed back, saying it's not feasible to let hundreds of students opt out of technology that is essential to the curriculum."

"At a meeting Monday night, school board members said they were considering many ways to respond to parental concerns about technology, but allowing opt-outs was not one of them. "There is not an option for us to not have technology in schools," said Lower Merion School Board member Anna Shurak. The board was meeting to discuss updates to the district's technology policies, including repealing a policy that allows opt outs."

Students in a Pennsylvania district receive iPads in kindergarten, Chromebooks in second grade, and MacBooks in eighth grade. Aliyah Pack, who has ADHD, struggles to concentrate when learning from screens and sometimes watches streaming content during class. Her mother reported falling grades and requested that the school remove her laptop, but the request was denied as not possible. Across the country, parents are concerned about excessive screen time and want more pencil-and-paper learning. In Lower Merion Township, more than 600 people petition to preserve parents’ ability to opt children out of digital devices during the school day. The district rejects opt-outs, saying technology is essential to the curriculum and accommodating hundreds of students is not feasible.

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