"Screentime in Schools"

House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

2025-06-10

Loading video...

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The subcommittee convened to examine the pervasive impact of screens, particularly smartphones and other devices, on students within educational settings [ 00:17:11 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. The discussion highlighted significant concerns regarding academic performance, mental health, and social development, while also exploring potential solutions and the appropriate role of various government levels in addressing these issues .

Negative Impacts of Screen Time on Student Well-being and Academics

The widespread use of personal and school-issued devices, especially smartphones, has been linked to numerous detrimental effects on students [ 00:17:25 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Students spend an average of 90 minutes per school day on personal devices during instructional time, contributing to an average of eight and a half hours daily on their cell phones [ 00:18:19-00:18:23 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. This excessive use leads to distractions, hurried assignments, and exposure to inappropriate content, with studies showing a decline in academic performance in math and reading [ 00:19:30-00:19:56 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Beyond academics, unchecked screen time is associated with mental health issues, cyberbullying, social isolation, and impaired communication skills, with some experts comparing cell phone usage to process addictions . Furthermore, the mere presence of a smartphone can reduce attention capacity and cognitive performance . Specific concerns for girls include significant increases in depression, self-harm, and suicide, exacerbated by social media comparison and constant online engagement .

Impact on Teachers and Classroom Environment

Teachers report that classrooms are unrecognizable due to pervasive screens, leading to constant struggles for student attention [ 00:17:22 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. This environment contributes significantly to teacher stress and burnout, with studies indicating that nearly half of existing cell phone policies are not enforced . Student behavior and discipline, often exacerbated by device use, are cited as the number one issue causing teacher dissatisfaction . Many teachers are considering leaving the profession earlier than planned, highlighting the urgent need for support in increasing classroom engagement . However, in schools where phone restrictions have been successfully implemented, teacher retention rates have improved, demonstrating a more positive teaching environment .

Solutions and Policy Implementations

Several approaches to mitigating the negative impacts of screens were discussed, including "bell to bell" restrictions on personal devices and the strategic use of school-issued technology . Utah implemented a statewide bill prohibiting student cell phone use during classroom hours, allowing for exemptions based on individual educational programs or medical necessity . This initiative has shown positive impacts, such as improved learning, decreased bullying, and more meaningful student connections . Richardson Independent School District saw significant improvements after implementing a policy paired with the use of "Yonder Pouches" to secure students' phones, leading to fewer disciplinary issues, more instructional time, and increased teacher retention . These policies emphasize a return to traditional learning methods like reading from paper, writing notes by hand, and Socratic conversation [ 00:20:58-00:21:18 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
.

Role of Federal, State, and Local Government

There was a shared sentiment that technology policies for schools should primarily be managed at the state and local levels . The federal government's role was envisioned as supporting research, providing guidance, and offering professional development, particularly for smaller and rural districts . Concerns were raised about the Trump administration's cancellation of over $1 billion in mental health funding and plans to eliminate the Department of Education and its Office of Educational Technology and the Institute of Education Sciences . Witnesses stressed the importance of federal investment in educator preparation, mental health grants, and rigorous research to inform effective policies and practices .

Beneficial Uses of Technology

While acknowledging the negative aspects, the meeting also recognized the immense potential of technology to enhance learning when used thoughtfully and focused [ 00:17:46 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Technology can personalize instruction, provide access to rich content, and support students with disabilities, such as through communication devices . Artificial intelligence, for instance, offers unlimited potential to increase student achievement by providing interactive learning experiences and allowing for voice-based questions without constant screen interaction [ 00:17:59-00:18:04 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. However, there is a clear distinction between technology-enhanced classrooms and technology-driven classrooms, with emphasis on using devices only when they add value to the educational process [ 01:07:14-01:07:27 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
.

Summary of Tone:

The meeting maintained a tone of serious concern regarding the escalating challenges posed by screen time in schools, yet it also conveyed a collective urgency and willingness to find practical solutions . While there was broad bipartisan agreement on the existence and severity of the problem and the need for action, differing viewpoints emerged regarding the extent of federal involvement and the impact of federal funding decisions [ 00:48:22 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. The discussion balanced highlighting the undeniable negative consequences with acknowledging the potential benefits of technology when used appropriately [ 00:17:46 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Witnesses provided data-driven insights and examples of successful local and state-level initiatives, fostering an overall pragmatic and problem-solving atmosphere .

Participants

Transcript

?
Unknown
Thank you.
The subcommittee on early childhood, elementary, and secondary education will come to order.  I note that a quorum is present.  Without objection, the chair is authorized to call recess at any time.  And I'm actually going to follow the ranking members example here and surrender both of my devices.   Set maybe the sort of example we want to set for our students.  Good morning and welcome to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Education.   This committee has several members who have been classroom teachers, ourselves, myself included.  But what a teacher faces today is in many ways unrecognizable from the classrooms that we all sat in or even the ones that we taught in.  Screens are now pervasive, mostly in the form of student cell phones, drawing attention away from interactive discussion and instruction.   Too often, students spend most of their days with their heads down, thumbs scrolling, and only a fraction interacting with increasingly discouraged teachers.  Students spend lunch sitting side by side but interacting with their phones rather than their peers.  We know that thoughtful, focused use of education technology can be tremendously beneficial for students.  For example, students can use sensors and apps to gather evidence for investigations and do research faster than ever.   This very subcommittee, just a couple months ago, examined the use of AI and its really unlimited potential to increase student achievement.  And I've been a huge advocate for the potential that AI offers in our classrooms.   But, and we talked about this to some extent at that hearing, research shows that there are downsides here when it comes to fixating and excessive use of specific devices.  Research shows that students are spending an average of 90 minutes per school day on their own devices during instructional time.  This contributes to the eight and a half hours a day the average high schooler spends on his or her cell phone.
I mean, think about that.  Eight and a half hours per day on their phone.  These are devices, and we're thinking about smartphones here, that didn't exist 20 years ago.  And so you have that number going from zero to eight and a half hours within the span of a generation.   Teachers report that students hurry sloppily through assignments so they can go back to their social media posts or YouTube channels, not engaging in the learning process.  Students starting in elementary school huddle around phones where students share videos with their friends who don't have phones, sometimes exposing children to inappropriate content.   Cyberbullying originating at school is contributing to mental health issues among our youth.  And cheating has become rampant.  We must ask ourselves why student achievement has declined in our country and why, for example, only 28% of our eighth graders are proficient in math and only 30% are proficient in reading.  We've been asking ourselves these questions.  I think there are many causes, but this is certainly one of them.   It is not just personal cell phones that can cause problems in our classrooms.  School-issued devices are overutilized, with middle schoolers spending almost two and a half hours a day on school-issued screens, creating eerily quiet classrooms with little student-to-student or teacher-to-student interaction.   Parents in my district agree that screen time needs to be limited.  A recent survey revealed that 40% of parents believe that screen time should be limited to academic use only, used strictly for academic work, and personal devices should stay off.  Another 34% of parents surveyed said there should be structured device periods where students can use any device during a set time.   the rest of the day being screen free.  Less than 3% of the parents we surveyed said students should have full access to devices throughout the school day.  So this is an issue where parents, I think, are really moving towards the view that we need to have some limitations at least in place.
So how can we balance helpful time on screens with strategies that have been proven through brain research to increase comprehension?  Strategies like reading from paper and writing notes by hand can help.  And rich Socratic conversation that allows students to hear a variety of perspectives, not just a feed based on their algorithms, can also help.  We need to listen to what the science is telling us about how screens affect brain development.   Not only does too much screen time affect students, but having to continually compete with cell phones for students' attention contributes heavily to teacher stress and burnout.  Studies show that almost half the cell phone policies that do exist are not enforced by school leaders, leading to struggles between teachers and noncompliant students.   The number one issue causing teacher dissatisfaction is student behavior and discipline.  55% of teachers are thinking of leaving the profession earlier than they had planned.  So if we want to keep good teachers in the classroom, we should start by supporting efforts to increase classroom engagement.  Today, we want to hear about the status of state and district-based restrictions and limitations on phones and how effective those restrictions are.   We also want to highlight research-based practices of schools that have struck a balance between technology and interactive teaching and the interest of advancing student learning to create curious learners and productive citizens.  Teachers and parents believe this is a community problem that can be solved by having a culture that balances the use of technology in the classroom with proven methods of instruction that encourage active student engagement, good mental health, good relationships, and quality instruction.

Sign up for free to see the full transcript

Accounts help us prevent bots from abusing our site. Accounts are free and will allow you to access the full transcript.

Sign up