Pennsylvania’s rich-town school district parents should not “abolish digital device vetoes” in New York, Los Angeles, etc. Put down the screen, hold up the pencil
ėŽė§ íë The site of the Board of Education meeting in the Lower Merion School District, Pennsylvania, United States. AP Yonhap News Agency
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 21st (local time) that parents’ demands to restrict the use of digital devices for learning in schools are spreading in major school districts such as New York, Los Angeles (LA), and Philadelphia.
Although the use of digital devices such as laptops and tablets has rapidly expanded in school sites since the COVID-19 pandemic, some parents have put the brakes on their children’s concerns about their children’s concentration and addiction.
At the center of the controversy is Lower Merion School District, a wealthy Pennsylvania neighborhood. The existing policy allowed parents to veto the use of digital devices for learning that were paid to students, but parents strongly protested when the Board of Education tried to abolish it.
More than 760 parents signed a petition to maintain their veto rights, and gathered in the school auditorium on the 15th to deliver their opinions directly. Many of the participants appeared wearing T-shirts with the words “Screen Down. Pencils Up.”
“Our district’s budget is $330 million (about 495 billion won),” said Brian Nilis, a robot engineer who spoke at the scene. “We need to reconsider whether to use this budget for devices that addict children.”
Jim Hausman, a real estate businessman with a sixth-grade son in elementary school, expressed concern that his child was able to download illegal poker games through the school’s Chromebook. He said, “Electronic devices have taken away parental control,” adding, “In short, it’s like ‘electronic fentanyl.’
The exposure time of American students to digital devices in schools is also considerable. According to Lightspeed Systems, an educational software company, elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States used digital devices provided by schools for an average of 52 minutes a day last year. By grade, elementary school students were the shortest at about 38 minutes, and middle school students were the longest at about 70 minutes.
Controversy over the side effects of students’ increased use of digital devices is spreading throughout the United States. L.A. parents are calling on schools to come up with stricter guidelines for using digital devices. Parents in Westchester County, New York, are also calling for restrictions on the use of Chromebooks and strengthening the management of accessible websites. Some parents in New York City have asked for a two-year delay in introducing AI-based education programs until teachers fully understand artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The spread of digital devices in schools began in earnest in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, each district purchased a large number of laptops and tablets with federal subsidies from the United States, and billions of dollars worth of digital transformation took place in the education field.
The key purpose of introducing digital devices was to narrow the learning gap between students and to help students who needed language barriers or additional support. In response, proponents argue that technology plays a role in increasing class participation, improving access to education, and complementing existing curriculum.
On the other hand, there are also voices of concern within the education community. In a recent Edweek Research Center survey, more than half of respondents said digital technology had a positive impact on students’ participation in class. However, at the same time, many respondents said digital devices can have a negative impact on students’ health and well-being.