The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, is urging classrooms to ditch technological learning environments and reduce screen time.
“We are at a crossroads that will define the future of work and society,” she said. “Without proper oversight and strong guardrails, there will be real dangers to our safety, privacy, climate and the very fabric of society.” Weingarten added that she is “not calling for a total ban on AI or a Chromebook bonfire,” but is focused on “getting the balance right to harness the benefits of technology while mitigating the harms.”
Weingarten shared a 10-point plan on the subject, which encourages no screen use for “students in prekindergarten through second grade, unless there is a compelling reason, such as to most effectively support a student with special needs.” The plan also seeks to focus on “Well-being,” asserts that no “student-facing AI” should be used in elementary schools, incorporates more project-based learning, and includes other initiatives.
She further took aim at both Republicans and Democrats, criticizing the Trump administration for what she claimed is a “laissez-faire approach to addressing the harms of technology,” and also called out the left’s lack of outspokenness on the topic.
Weingarten’s speech follows the Office of the Surgeon General, under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), releasing a report warning of the dangers of screen time for children and adolescents.
According to the report, early exposure to screens, specifically among preschool-aged children, was “associated with differences in brain structure, particularly reduced cortical thickness in regions supporting visual processing and higher-order cognitive functions.”
“Harmful screen use may be associated with attention problems, and higher levels of screen use have been observed among children with autism spectrum disorder, although the causal direction of these relationships remains unclear,” it adds.
Among adolescents, the earlier a child obtained a smartphone, such as between the ages of 12 and 13, were “more likely to show signs of clinically significant mental health problems by age 13 than those who still did not have one.”
