Pushing Back Against AI in the Classroom

A colleague shared with Emily Cherkin — screen time consultant, author and advocate against AI in schools — how they impersonated a student using Google Gemini’s Guided Learning Chatbot. Posing as a student, they asked the bot for math help and then acted distracted by a girl in the nonexistent “class.” 

“It sounds like your mind is on a different kind of angle,” the bot replied, according to Cherkin’s LinkedIn post on the topic, which questions Google’s claims “that their student-facing chatbot will ‘help students learn using the Socratic method.’” In this case, the bot quickly pivoted to giving dating advice with even a slight nudge.

Her battle cry is clear. She wants parents, teachers and educators to “read this and weep — or change something,” she added.

Her concerns echo those of some parents and teachers across the country who are pushing back, citing distractions, off-loading critical-thinking processes to EdTech tools and more. Research has shown only 6 percent of teachers think the benefits of AI outweigh risks, and that one in five AI tool interactions results in a negative impact, including bullying, cheating and other consequences, as ParentMap previously reported.

Here’s what parents and teachers are doing about it.

The screen time/AI tool connection

First, there was pushback against screen time more generally, resulting in phone bans in schools. Now, experts and parents are seeing the connection between that screen time and increased access to AI-based tools. For example, Michelle Bradley, a mother of a seventh grader in the Seattle area, says she started combating the issue when her child was in third grade. 

“I asked that she not use her school-issued device during free choice time. I didn’t opt her out in fourth grade. This is when she started to use more tech and declined academically. I partially opted her out of the one-to-one device program in fifth grade; there were improvements,” Bradley says. “I fully opted her out of the one-to-one device program and AI use in sixth grade; she was the only one out of approximately 750 students at her middle school without a device. She thrived, especially in math.”

Bradley says caregivers used to trust that EdTech products were “safe and educational,” not realizing this assumption “is not true.”

“Caregivers are also starting to get a glimpse into just how much time students spend on screens at school,” she adds, noting parents are upset at the amount of screen time spent on noneducational purposes, such as YouTube, social media and gaming. Cherkin says, “At the earlier grades, parents are skeptical that gamified apps are any benefit to early education and wonder why at home there are guidelines for screen time limits for young children, while those minutes and hours are being eaten up in the classroom by YouTube videos for ‘brain breaks.’”

A second grade teacher in Seattle with 22 years of experience, who wishes to remain anonymous, is seeing the same trend. “Teachers at my school receive more EdTech questions each year. I think parents are becoming more aware of the effects of excessive screen time and are trying to reduce it at home,” she says. “This leads to questions about screen time in school. In our community, this is particularly true for incoming kindergarten students and first and second graders.”

The most popular request she sees in younger grades is screen time reduction. In older grades, it’s pencil and paper for math and writing assignments. “Teachers have also been asked about computer-based district and state assessments, the use of AI and data collection.”

The parent-led cultural shift

Erica Shutes-David, LMFT, is a mental health therapist and cofounder of Seattle Families for Intentional Tech, a group of Seattle Public Schools parents and caregivers focused on how educational technologies are used in classrooms 

She can sense the tides changing on this topic, and calls herself “hopeful yet realistic.”

Cherkin echoes the changing dialogue, especially as she’s seen a spike in downloads of her free Unplug EdTech Toolkit in the last six months. “I also think it’s very interesting that I frequently hear teachers who are absolutely worried to speak out publicly about their concerns for fear of losing their jobs. That’s appalling,” she says. “And in spite of President Randi Weingarten’s recent 10-point plan, the American Federation of Teachers (one of the largest teachers unions in America) has a $23 million partnership with OpenAi and Anthropic. That’s very concerning.”

“This will take time and to some degree a cultural shift around how we use technology,” Shutes-David says, pointing to the common refrain that we have to prepare students for an AI-saturated world and workforce. “What we have yet to hear is what specific skills young people need when they enter the workforce, what age is appropriate to learn those skills and what are the foundational analog skills we need to protect to graduate students who are competent and able to adapt as the world changes around them.”

She hopes parents can reach out to teachers, principals and school districts to inform decisions around curriculum. Here’s what else parents can do:

• Make your voice heard: Seattle parents can participate in Shutes-David’s Family Connections Survey, which can be distributed to lead parents at each school to organize, collaborate and support teachers and administrators in having more transparent conversations about how and why tech is used. “The EdTech companies have sold themselves as the easy answer and while the data is not stacking up, it will take a mass of families to speak up and change the forward momentum towards EdTech,” she says.
• Join organizations aligned with your EdTech beliefs: The anonymous second grade teacher suggests “joining the Seattle chapter of Schools Beyond Screens. They have already presented a petition at a school board meeting and offer excellent resources to support students and families.”
• Start with your teacher: The same teacher also recommends going directly to your child’s teacher. “I always advise parents to reach out to their child’s teacher first if they have concerns about anything regarding their child, including screen time. Teachers will work with your family to accommodate student needs and requests,” she says.
• Lead with curiosity and relationship at heart: Cherkin says, “I tell parents that they should approach this with curiosity, not judgment, and start by speaking with the person at the school with whom they have the best relationship.”

Cherkin urges parents and teachers to have urgency around this matter. “There is a place for technology in school — as I said, [technology education] is needed more than ever. But I really am concerned that superintendents and school leaders are barreling down a dangerous path without much thought. The collateral, of course, is children.”

Editor’s note: AI was used to generate the Key Takeaways at the top of this article. It was reviewed by ParentMap’s editorial team for accuracy and edited for clarity.