The new classroom debate over tech

Across the country, classrooms are becoming increasingly phone-free. At least 39 states and the District of Columbia now require school districts to ban or restrict student  cellphone use during the school day, according to Education Week. And a 2026 EdWeek Research Center survey found that 95% of educators said their school or district has an official policy restricting students’ access to cellphones during school hours.

The argument from teachers is simple. It’s hard to compete with a smartphone for a student’s attention. Having the internet at their fingertips can quickly pull a student away from the lesson happening in front of them.

Many teachers reported improvements in engagement, focus and student behavior after the policies were introduced. The research, however, isn't quite as definitive. A National Bureau of Economic Research study of 4,600 schools published this year found that cellphone restrictions had little short-term effect on academic achievement, attendance or students’ perceptions of their ability to pay attention.

Still, the push to rethink technology in schools is extending beyond smartphones. In Los Angeles, parents raised concerns about school-issued laptops, tablets and learning apps, arguing that schools should have to demonstrate that the technology they put in front of children is actually helping them learn.

Their efforts helped prompt the Los Angeles Unified School District to eliminate digital devices through first grade, establish screen-time limits for older students and restrict access to YouTube.

Yet as schools pull back on some forms of technology, they are simultaneously grappling with a new and potentially more transformative one: AI.

AI has moved rapidly from boardrooms and tech conferences into classrooms. But unlike the smartphone, which educators largely see as a distraction to manage, AI is being tested as a tool that could actually change how teachers teach and how students learn.

For educators, some of the appeal is practical. Teachers are using AI to build lesson plans, create worksheets and activities, develop discussion prompts and adapt materials for students with different learning needs.

For students, the use is a little different. AI can explain a difficult concept in another way, help brainstorm ideas or offer feedback on a piece of writing. A Brookings report cited by NPR found that teachers see potential for AI to support reading and writing, including helping students organize and revise their work, provided the technology supports the student's thinking rather than doing the work for them.

Not everyone is convinced.

Parents and educators are increasingly pushing back against the rapid adoption of AI and other digital tools in schools, particularly for younger children. Some parents have raised concerns about students accessing AI on school-issued devices, the potential for cheating and whether children are being given technology before educators fully understand its effects.

A recent Deloitte survey underscores the tension: Half of parents of school-aged children said they worry their kids are becoming overly reliant on AI, while roughly 30% said their children are already incorporating generative AI into schoolwork. At the same time, more than a third of parents said they worry schools aren't doing enough to prepare students to use AI effectively.

New York City is now putting that debate into practice.

The nation's largest public school system announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for elementary and middle-school students, affecting roughly 600,000 children. At the same time, the city plans to introduce structured AI literacy for high school students, including lessons on the technology's risks, ethics and career implications. Teachers can still use AI for planning and operational tasks.

The decision comes as other school systems are taking a similar step back from technology. But notably, these policies aren't necessarily a rejection of technology altogether. The debate is increasingly about whether schools are using technology intentionally, and whether they have the resources to properly evaluate it.