Screen Time

Get up-to-date on the ed-tech backlash as educators and parents are thinking about how much time students should spend on devices at school
Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the fifth graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 , in Seattle .
Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the 5th graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School in Seattle on Jan. 24, 2023. Some parents in the city, which issues devices to all students, have opted their children out of school-issued technology.
Ken Lambert/Seattle Times via TNS
Classroom Technology These Kids Are Learning Without Tech in a District That Gives Out Devices to All
Some parents in this city opted their children out of school-issued devices.
Claire Bryan, The Seattle Times, August 17, 2026
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10 min read
Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minnesota .
Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minn. Some experts caution schools not to go too far in dialing back the use of classroom technologies, a trend called the "techlash" that is driven by concerns about the overuse of technology in schools.
Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Classroom Technology Q&A Why a 'Blunt Force' Approach to Screen Time May Be Problematic
District and state leaders should avoid one-size-fits-all mandates on screen time, expert argues.
Alyson Klein, August 17, 2026
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3 min read
Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on the Screen Time Reckoning: Educators, Parents, and the Fight for Healthier Classrooms
Screens are reshaping classrooms, but educators are pushing back to restore balance, protect learning, and prioritize human connection.
August 14, 2026
Numberpad visible on keyboard of ASUS CX1 Chromebook, Lafayette, California, October 27, 2025.
The Canon-McMillan school district in Pennsylvania is one of a growing number of school districts that are scaling back students’ classroom screen time. Students in grades K-2 will no longer have regular access to school-issued laptops or tablets, and students in grades 3-8 will have limited access through Chromebook carts.
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa via AP Images
Classroom Technology Q&A Why This District Is Getting Rid of Chromebooks for K-2 Students
Some parents, educators, and even students are souring on the ubiquitous presence of the technology.
Lauraine Langreo, August 11, 2026
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6 min read
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Robyn Lady, a member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia, left, and Rachel Edoho-Eket, a principal in Howard County, Md., participate in a panel discussion titled "Building Trust With Families in a Skeptical Age" at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on June 30, 2026. The growing backlash against the overuse of technology in schools is forcing school and district leaders to have some difficult conversations with parents.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Classroom Technology How District and School Leaders Respond to the 'Techlash' Will Be Critical
Educators recommend showing parents how technology is used for learning.
Alyson Klein, August 4, 2026
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4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Classroom Technology Opinion We’re Finally Starting to Ask the Right Questions About Ed Tech
Concerns about screen-saturated schools underscore a sense that “innovation” exacts a human cost.
Rick Hess, August 4, 2026
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5 min read
Image of a teacher and student balancing digital and traditional schoolwork approaches.
Robert Neubecker for Education Week.
Classroom Technology Schools Brace for Growing Backlash to Classroom Screen Time
Many school leaders think a tech reset is overdue, but don't want to dump what's helping kids learn.
Arianna Prothero, August 3, 2026
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7 min read
Education Air Quality Oil and Gas 25147797641797
Students at Loving Elementary School in Loving, N.M., participate in a science, technology, engineering and math lab on May 19, 2025. A rising number of school districts around the country are making decisions to cut back on the amount of time students spend using technology in the classroom.
Susan Montoya Bryan/AP Photo
Classroom Technology From Our Research Center How Much Time Are Students Spending on Tech in Classrooms?
Schools are wrestling with the backlash against students' classroom screen time.
Lauraine Langreo, July 24, 2026
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1 min read
New York School Cellphone Ban 25119009936115
A student uses a cellphone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2024. Experts say schools can give parents valuable advice about how to make sure their children are not spending too much time viewing screens.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Families & the Community How Schools Can Help Parents Manage Kids' Screen Time
From bullying to losing sleep, what kids do at home on screens affects their learning.
Arianna Prothero, July 21, 2026
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8 min read
Students in Coach Harris' history class refrain from using tech, focusing instead on group activities using white boards and worksheets on April 7, 2026 at Sapulpa Middle School in Sapulpa, Okla
A middle school history class refrains from using tech, focusing instead on group activities using white boards and worksheets on April 7, 2026 in Sapulpa, Okla. Some teachers are paring down tech, while others feel they have limited options to do so, according to their responses to an EdWeek story.
September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
Classroom Technology How Teachers Are Tackling the 'Techlash'
Some educators say they would like to pull back on digital tools, but lack alternative resources.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 16, 2026
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1 min read
Education Preschool Literacy 24282644924710
Davontez Johnson, right, ties preschooler Kodi's shoes, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Dorothy I. Height Elementary School in Baltimore. Early educators’ growing concern centers on too much access to technology from a young age.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo
Early Childhood Flipping the Script on Tech Equity in Early Education
This urban majority-minority district plans to limit young students' access to technology.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 10, 2026
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5 min read
Photo illustration of an elementary-aged Caucasian boy with outstretched legs and a laptop on his lap. He is sitting on a very large cellphone propped up by four orange construction cones. The background is a montage of overlapping rectangle shapes with some ghosted images of young elementary students using a variety of tech (headphones and cellphones).
Photo illustration by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Ed-Tech Policy Opinion Is the Backlash Against Tech in Schools Going Too Far?
As schools rethink their relationship with tech, there are questions they should be asking.
Lina Eroh, July 6, 2026
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5 min read
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Attendees gather for the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on June 29, 2026. Teachers and administrators at the show said there needs to be a balance between tech- and non-tech-based strategies in schools.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Classroom Technology Tech-Savvy Educators Weigh In on 'Techlash'
Teachers and administrators attending the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference were asked for their takes on major tech themes.
Alyson Klein, Lauraine Langreo & Arianna Prothero, June 30, 2026
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1 min read
Four students sit at a table working on laptops in a bright classroom or library setting.
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