News about kids, screens and schools.

Landlines, magazines, puzzles: this NYC suburb is bringing back screen-free childhoods

New York Focus · Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Parents in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, organized a community group around screen-free childhoods and hosted a candidate forum on edtech before the May 2026 school board election. Two members who ran on reducing school screen time unseated incumbents. The district had already begun reexamining its technology use.

Portland parents push PPS to rethink classroom screen time

KATU · Portland, OR (Portland Public Schools)

Parent group Schools Beyond Screens Portland drafted proposed policies asking PPS to end screen-based instruction in K-2, set a 20-minute device limit for grades 3-5, limit high school use by subject, create a committee to review classroom tech, and pause AI for five years. Parents say use varies widely because PPS has guidelines but no single policy. The district has not adopted the proposals, and talks are ongoing.

Update: The board's policy committee took up a draft policy in September

Guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) and screen time

New York City Public Schools · New York, NY

The nation's largest school system adopted an AI and screen time policy for 2026-27 with stronger limits for younger students, restrictions on student-facing generative AI, and limited, guided AI use for approved purposes in high school. Reported details include no routine individual screen use through 2nd grade and recommended daily caps in grades 3-8.

PISA 2025: students' reading and mathematics performance declined sharply across the OECD

OECD · OECD countries

PISA 2025 found average reading and math scores across OECD countries at their lowest recorded levels. Moderate use of digital devices for learning was linked with stronger science scores, while excessive use and leisure use at school were linked with weaker results. More than one in four students said classmates are distracted by devices in most or all science lessons. These are associations, not proof of cause.

U.S. Department of Education releases guidance on responsible use of education technology in the classroom

U.S. Department of Education · National

A Dear Colleague letter says screen time alone should not be the main measure of education technology, that recreational and education technology should not be treated as the same thing, and that the key question is whether the technology schools use improves learning. It urges states to pair innovation with evidence, educator judgment, and transparency for parents, and leaves decisions to states and local communities.

New Utah law protects student privacy after BYU research found K-12 apps were collecting and sharing data

BYU News · Utah

A Utah State Board of Education investigation with BYU and Internet Safety Labs tested what 100 school apps actually transmitted during use. Of apps with data privacy agreements, 52% collected at least one data element the agreement did not allow. Utah responded with H.B. 55, effective July 1, 2026, which adds audit rights and requires ending contracts when violations are not fixed within 30 days.

Some local school districts could scale back use of electronic devices for learning

KXL · Tigard, OR (Tigard-Tualatin School District)

A Tigard-Tualatin School District work group recommended less screen time for elementary and middle school students, in and out of the classroom. Proposals include blocking sites like YouTube on school devices and replacing middle school iPads with Chromebooks that stay at school. Detailed recommendations were set to go to the school board on August 31.

Why this district is getting rid of Chromebooks for K-2 students

Education Week · Canon-McMillan School District, PA

A Pennsylvania district is removing Chromebooks from K-2 starting in 2026-27 and continuing a shift to printed textbooks, workbooks, and pencil-and-paper work. Its superintendent says the district now passes on curriculum that lacks a hard-copy option. He flagged state-mandated online testing as a source of tension.

Education's AI 'gold rush' comes with risks for students

Christian Science Monitor · National

Examines fast-growing school spending on AI products, estimated at $730 million in 2026, even as many districts face tight budgets. It notes Common Sense Media rated the school version of Google Gemini high risk. Useful background for technology budget renewal questions.

States move to limit classroom screen time

Stateline · Iowa; Utah; Tennessee; Alabama; Missouri; Oklahoma

By July 2026, four states had passed laws restricting or regulating screen time from child care through 5th grade. Iowa capped K-5 digital instruction at 60 minutes a day, with exceptions for special education, assessments, and computer science. Utah directed its education board to write grade-specific technology rules, including K-3 screen restrictions and an end to one-device-per-student in elementary school. Tennessee now requires K-5 districts to adopt device policies that minimize unnecessary screen time, and Alabama set screen time standards for child care, pre-K, and kindergarten. Similar bills in Missouri and Oklahoma failed.

Check out free Oregon State Park parking passes at your local library

OPB · Statewide

Oregonians can now borrow state park parking permits from their local library, making a day at parks that charge for parking free with a library card.

Governor Ferguson announces key legislative priority to ban cellphones in schools statewide

Office of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson · Washington

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson made a statewide school cellphone ban a top legislative priority after lawmakers earlier in 2026 passed only a study bill. About 75% of Washington districts have some phone limits, and a national report card gave the state an F. The governor planned statewide listening sessions on policy details.