Parents push San Diego Unified to limit classroom screen use

A group of parents in San Diego, including Elizabeth Johnson, gathered in April to protest the heavy use of technology in classrooms under the San Diego Unified School District. They advocate for reducing screen time, arguing it harms children’s learning, attention spans, eyesight, privacy, and social skills. The protest follows a May 21 school board meeting where a parent reported students accessing adult content on Chromebooks despite filtering tools like Blocksi. Johnson, a former psychology student, became alarmed when her kindergarten daughter began using a Chromebook at Ocean Beach Elementary. She noted inconsistencies in Chromebook use among teachers, with some avoiding them entirely. The district issues Chromebooks to kindergarteners and first graders for classroom use, while second graders receive devices for both school and home. These are replaced in sixth and ninth grades. Parents argue that while Chromebooks may have once bridged equity gaps, current overuse risks exposing young children to inappropriate content and disrupting development. A parent at the May meeting criticized the district’s filtering system, Blocksi, for failing to prevent access to adult material. The district’s policy allows Chromebooks in lower grades, raising concerns about unsupervised use. Johnson’s group, part of Schools Beyond Screens, is pushing for a reevaluation of technology’s role in education. They argue that intentional, limited screen exposure is necessary for children’s well-being. A resolution on the issue could be discussed by the school board as early as next month, marking a potential shift in how technology is integrated into early education.