Heavy classroom screen use raises new learning concerns

Screens have become a routine part of American classrooms, but commentary from communication professor Kara Alaimo argues that more technology is not necessarily helping students learn.

About 88% of U.S. public schools had a 1-to-1 computing program for the 2024–25 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Research also raises concerns that heavy or distracting digital device use may be linked to weaker academic performance, while print reading and handwritten notes may offer learning advantages in some settings.

Alaimo argues that schools may be replacing phones with laptops and tablets without addressing the larger screen-use problem. For parents already worried about distraction, fatigue, physical health, and online risks, classroom technology is becoming a growing concern.

Schools are replacing one screen with another

A recent study found that requiring students to put away their phones did not appear to produce meaningful improvements in learning outcomes.

At first glance, that result may seem surprising. Phones are widely blamed for distracting students and interfering with classroom attention.

Alaimo believes one possible explanation is that students are simply moving from personal phones to school-provided devices. According to a 2025 National Center for Education Statistics survey, 88% of US public schools issue a device to every student.

That means removing smartphones may do little to reduce overall screen exposure if much of the school day is still spent on laptops, tablets, or other digital platforms.

Academic results tell a more complicated story

Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath has argued that heavy use of classroom technology can hurt learning, citing international test data and his book, The Digital Delusion.

OECD research shows the picture is mixed. PISA 2022 found that students who used digital devices for learning activities at school for up to 1 hour per day scored higher in mathematics than students who reported no such use, while heavier or leisure-based digital use was linked with lower scores.

For Alaimo, those findings challenge the assumption that adding more technology automatically improves education. Schools may introduce devices to make learning more efficient or engaging, but the available research suggests the academic payoff depends on how, why, and how much technology is used.

Digital lessons can hollow out the classroom

Some parents are also concerned about what gets lost when technology replaces direct teaching. One mother told Alaimo that her daughter’s middle school social studies teacher had not delivered a traditional lesson during the school year. Instead, students completed exercises on a digital device.

The parent said important topics such as women’s rights, religion, and power could have generated meaningful classroom discussion. Instead, her daughter had become focused on completing online forms as quickly as possible.

That example reflects a larger concern about whether digital coursework can replace conversation, explanation, questioning, and the back-and-forth interaction that often makes complex subjects easier to understand.

Paper still has an academic advantage

Research cited by Alaimo points to clear benefits from traditional learning methods. Studies have found that students understand material better when they read printed text rather than the same content on a screen.

Similar findings have emerged around note-taking. Students tend to comprehend more when they take notes by hand rather than typing them.

Those differences matter because reading, writing, and mathematics are foundational skills. Alaimo argues that computers should still be taught, but that technology classes are a more appropriate place for students to learn digital skills.

In her view, core academic subjects should rely more heavily on paper, handwriting, discussion, and direct instruction.

Constant stimulation may weaken focus

Another concern is the design of digital content itself. Videos, games, rewards, animations, and fast-moving features are often used to keep children engaged with devices.

Those tools may hold attention in the moment, but Alaimo worries they can make slower forms of learning feel less appealing.

Reading a long text, conducting research, thinking through a difficult problem, and studying for an exam require patience. These activities do not provide constant rewards or rapid stimulation.

If students become accustomed to highly interactive digital experiences, traditional forms of sustained concentration may become harder to tolerate. That could affect the very habits schools are supposed to help children develop.

Human skills cannot be downloaded

Classrooms also serve a social purpose that goes beyond academic content. Students learn how to speak with teachers, disagree respectfully, work with classmates, read social cues, and manage face-to-face interactions.

Screens cannot fully reproduce those experiences. Alaimo argues that these interpersonal skills will remain important for future careers and long-term well-being.

Heavy reliance on devices can reduce opportunities for spontaneous discussion and collaboration, particularly when students complete assignments individually on screens rather than interacting with those around them.

For parents, that makes classroom technology a broader developmental issue rather than simply a question of test scores.

School devices carry online risks

School-issued devices can also expose students to risks outside the curriculum. Washington, DC attorney Lindsay Lieberman, who represents victims of online abuse, has warned that children may find ways to bypass safety controls.

Online safety experts and federal agencies have long cautioned that children can face risks such as harmful content, inappropriate contact, cyberbullying, privacy threats, and data-security problems when using internet-connected tools.

Schools are often required to implement internet safety policies and filtering measures, but filters and safeguards are not perfect. The concern is that even school-managed devices can pose online risks if students can access platforms, games, or content that fall outside the intended lesson.

Parents are pushing for change

Some communities are already beginning to reconsider classroom screen use. The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education approved a resolution in April 2026 to limit student screen time across the district.

Lieberman is also working with parents and teachers who want Washington, DC public schools to reevaluate their reliance on digital devices. Alaimo said she has joined parents in her own community who are advocating for similar limits.

The concern for many families is timing. Even if more school districts eventually scale back technology, students currently spending large portions of their school day on devices may not benefit from those future changes.

Federal law gives parents some leverage

Parents also have rights regarding how children’s information is handled online. Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, covered websites and online services must give parents certain rights, including the ability to review or delete a child’s personal information and prevent further collection or use in some situations.

When schools authorize educational technology services, the rules can become harder for families to navigate. The Federal Trade Commission says operators relying on school authorization must provide schools with information about what personal data is collected, give schools an opportunity to review or delete that information, and prevent further use or collection.

Lieberman said families may still struggle to exercise those rights in practice if a district does not provide a clear opt-out process or an obvious alternative curriculum. That gap can leave parents with limited practical choices even when they are uncomfortable with the amount of technology used during the school day.

Home habits still matter

Schools are only one part of the equation. Alaimo recommends that parents also limit recreational screen time at home and encourage children to complete homework and studying without digital devices when possible.

That advice can appear contradictory when schools themselves require students to spend hours working online.

Still, reducing unnecessary screen exposure outside school may help create more time for reading, movement, sleep, conversation, and other activities that devices can displace.

For Alaimo, the larger goal is not to eliminate technology from children’s lives. It is to restore a balance in which digital tools support education rather than dominate it.

TL;DR

• About 88% of U.S. public schools had a 1-to-1 computing program for the 2024–25 school year.
• Kara Alaimo argues that removing phones may have a limited academic impact if students switch to school-issued screens.
• Research links heavy or distracting use of digital devices to poorer academic outcomes, while some studies show the benefits of print reading and handwritten notes.
• Excessive screen use may also raise concerns about eye strain, physical activity, sleep, sustained attention, and fewer face-to-face interactions.
• Parents are also concerned about harmful content, privacy issues, and other online risks on school-issued devices.
• Los Angeles Unified has moved to limit classroom screen time, while parent groups in other communities are pushing for similar changes.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.