Silicon Valley parents push to limit technology in children's schools

Mixed · 2Software engineer German Gil, whose career includes Netflix, Facebook and GitHub, enrolled his daughter Victoria at the private San Francisco Waldorf school so that she could have a screen-free education. 1 2 Left · 1Waldorf's kindergarten tuition is about $40,000 a year and high school close to $60,000. The school's executive director, Lauren Smith, says applications for early childhood enrollment have grown notably, with many new parents working in tech. 1 Left · 1Parents in tech-heavy communities such as Mountain View, San Mateo and Palo Alto are also pressing public schools to reduce screen use, according to the Guardian. 1

Mixed · 2Some changes have followed. San Mateo schools have stopped sending Chromebooks home with students from kindergarten to second grade, and its high schools have a blanket cell phone ban. Mountain View schools are moving away from the i-Ready adaptive learning program, and Palo Alto public schools have banned smart glasses. 1 2 Left · 1The Guardian says these parents bring firsthand knowledge of the industry. San Mateo union high school district's AI taskforce included at least two volunteers from large tech companies, according to trustee Jennifer Jacobsen. 1 Mixed · 2Screens are widespread in US classrooms. A New York Times survey in 2025 found 99% of teachers said students received school-issued devices. National Center for Education Statistics data cited by Newsweek show 88% of public schools ran one-to-one computing programmes in 2024–25, and a Gallup survey found 96% of teachers reported students using digital devices in class while 61% wanted less use. 1 2

Mixed · 2Both outlets cite research on possible harms. The Guardian says research suggests students retain material better from pen and paper than from screens. Newsweek cites a 2023 OECD report on distraction, a 2024 Norwegian study of 36 university students on handwriting, and a September 2026 JAMA Pediatrics review of more than 2.8 million children linking greater screen exposure to poorer academic and language outcomes. 1 2 Left · 1The Guardian focuses on inequality. Advocates fear less-resourced districts will be left with the digital tools wealthier ones abandon. Jon Valant of the Brown Center on Education Policy says the cost of human-centred education is mostly adult staff, and that tight budgets make replacing people with technology tempting. The article adds that Trump administration support for school choice vouchers means funding follows children out of public schools. 1 Centre · 1Newsweek, in an opinion-style piece, argues that if Silicon Valley considers its products too harmful for its own children, others should not have to accept them. It acknowledges benefits such as text-to-speech software for dyslexia, and proposes that large tech companies help fund teacher salaries, books and screen-free classrooms for families who cannot afford them. 2