As a growing chorus of parents raise alarms about the overuse of technology in their kids’ classrooms, a newly released survey brings some clarity—and data—to the debate.
While three-quarters of parents want schools to set daily screen time limits, the same share also say that their schools’ use of computers and tablets is already about the right amount, according to a survey by the National Parents Union. (Only 1 percent of parents say they want their children to have absolutely no screen time in school.)
Parents also don’t perceive the time kids spend on screens as universally bad. In general, they are more likely to see social media as having a negative impact on their children’s lives than a positive one, while the reverse is true of the internet.
It’s important for school and district leaders to recognize that parents’ attitudes toward technology are nuanced and specific to the type of tech, said Keri Rodrigues, the president of the National Parents Union. She used cellphones as an example.
“Parents view cellphones primarily as communication tools,” she said. “They view social media and the apps that are on the cellphones as being toxic. And they should be regulated, they should be restricted absolutely. But they don’t view them as the same. And when we conflate the two [in school tech policies], that’s where you lose us.”
Forty-four percent of parents said that federal policy does not do enough to protect kids from social media, and 38% said the same of AI.
The survey included input from 1,527 parents of public K-12 students between May 28 and June 1.
Parent backlash to technology is driving policy
After a rapid increase of tech adoption in schools, fueled by the pandemic and remote learning, some parent advocate groups have started pushing back. Policymakers have responded.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in nearly 20 states have introduced or supported legislation this year aimed at limiting technology use in schools in various ways—such as giving parents more control over their kids’ classroom tech use or restricting the use of AI in schools.
In April, the Los Angeles Unified School District—the nation’s second largest—passed a resolution to create maximum in-school screen-time limits, bar student use of digital devices in preschool through 1st grade, and ban student-led use of YouTube and other video streaming platforms. A parent coalition initially formed in Los Angeles that now has a national footprint, Schools Beyond Screens, advocated for the resolution.
Parents still want their kids to be tech savvy
Just because some parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend on screens in school doesn’t mean they want tech banned, said Rodrigues. This is especially true of AI, which parents recognize will be a part of their children’s lives.
The NPU survey found that 9 out of 10 parents want schools focused on preparing students for future jobs, and increasingly that means learning how to use AI responsibly. Half of parents say that being skilled with AI tools will be essential or very important to their child’s future career.
Sixty-three percent say that teaching students how to use AI effectively should be a focus for the next school year.
Where parents appear to be especially opinionated is when it comes to transparency on how AI is used in schools: Strong majorities want to be notified if their child is interacting with AI or when their child’s information or work is being shared with AI.
Given how rapidly AI is being embedded in popular education technology tools, schools should take note of these findings, said Rodrigues. A third of parents gave their school an A on having a clear tech and AI policy.
“Parents really want to make sure that there are guardrails and real safety rules on AI, full transparency to families and real protection around kids’ data,” she said. “At the same time, they really want their kids to be ready for the future. They want to make sure that we’re not choosing between keeping kids safe and getting them ready for the jobs and economy of the future.”
