IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — New York state’s largest teachers union is calling for limits on screen time and AI use for students in the classroom. The New York State United Teachers resolution comes as schools in the state are wrapping up their first year with a bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use.

The goal of the NYSUT resolution is to promote more hands-on learning at a time when screen technology is literally everywhere.  

In the West Irondequoit schools, social time is now for talking.

“We’ve been able to interact more and have more meaningful conversations with the people around us,” said senior Anne Tan.

That’s because there’s no cellphone use during school hours.

“I’ve been reading a lot more because I’ve not been on my phone,” said Mason Muscate, also a senior. “And I think it’s been helpful.”

The state law barring bell-to-bell cellphone use took effect in September.

“One of my favorite quotes from an administrator was, ‘We have our kids back,’” said Casey Wagner, the district’s director of technology.  

All of West Irondequoit’s 3,800 students use laptops to help them learn. Administrators say technology is no replacement for scientific, research-based instruction.

“There’s a difference between screen time at home, or recreational, versus educational or instructional purposes,” said Wagner. “So, when we think about instructional technology, it’s not replacing the teacher.”

The board of New York State United Teachers recently passed a resolution calling for stricter limits on technology in classrooms, especially for younger students. NYSUT wants no one-to-one screen time or student-facing AI for kids in grades pre-K through 2. The union says AI use for students of any age must be supervised.

“The idea is that we are already starting that process, especially looking at our k-3s,” said Wagner, who adds the district has a tech advisory committee that helps set age-appropriate standards for students using technology. The district is considering screen time limits for younger students and potentially moving away from one-to-one device use in pre-K through grade two.

“All of this technology, whether it be AI or social media, it’s all moving very, very quickly,” said Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician at Golisano Children’s Hospital.  

The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued an advisory, which identifies excessive screen time for children and teens as a public health hazard. Murray says screen time is a concern for many parents.

“The one area we can all agree on is that there are huge safety concerns,” she said. “And it’s not a simple fix.”

Murray says it’s important to have guidelines that balance classroom learning with the fact that technology is everywhere.  

“We do need to have rules and potentially legislation, because we need to build digital citizens from a very young age,” said Murray. “Just because we’re teaching children about these technologies at a young age doesn’t mean we expect them to be using the technology, but we need to make sure that they understand it in an age-appropriate way before they start using it.”

NYSUT’s president says teachers are not anti-technology, but pro-child. 

“Instructional technology is used as a means to enhance, but it does not replace what we do in the classroom,” said Wagner. “I think that’s really important. But I know that there’s more work to be done.”