Teachers are asking for greater discernment of when screens improve learning and when they simply consume time. The are not, however, asking schools to abandon technology.
For years, schools treated access to devices as a sign of progress. More laptops meant more opportunity. More platforms meant more options. More digital activity often looked like more innovation.
Now the question is changing.
Teachers are looking past access and asking whether the screen improves the lesson. Does it deepen thinking? Speed up feedback? Remove a barrier? Help students work together? Or does it simply add more time on a device?
In July 2026, 37 K–12 classroom teachers in the First Step Advisors Education Network responded to a survey about classroom screen use. More than half, 53%, said they are actively trying to reduce screen time. Another 37% said their use has stayed about the same, while only 10% are trying to increase it. The same survey found that 53% of respondents said students spend no more than one-quarter of instructional time on screens.
Those findings suggest caution, not rejection. Teachers are asking a more useful question: What does the screen add to this lesson?
