Social media takes an ‘L’ as edtech skepticism grows

[Daniel Mollenkamp]

View in browser     |   No. 725 |   4/2/26   |   Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by   Last week, a jury in Los Angeles handed a big loss to social media companies Meta and YouTube, finding them negligent in designing products that can be addictive for children.   Until now, Big Tech companies have shielded themselves by focusing on free speech, but this lawsuit shifted the emphasis onto product liability, and was helped by internal documents showing that technology leaders knew that their products would harm kids. It’s been dubbed social media’s “Big Tobacco moment.”    Moving forward, technology companies may have to stop thinking about kids as consumers — and start weighing safety concerns more seriously, according to experts. Big Tech plans to appeal, and experts say it could plausibly lead to a Supreme Court case. At the same time, some companies may settle many of the thousands of lawsuits currently pending in courts across the country.    The case touched on themes that have reverberated for months: Even as the cost of technological tools has become harder for schools to justify, families and educators have started to regret becoming so reliant on them in the first place. For schools, this has meant screen time bans and content restrictions. It has also meant more skeptical screening of edtech by schools, as Ellen Ullman reports for EdSurge.     Keep an eye out for the full analysis of the watershed social media case from EdSurge reporter Nadia Tamez-Robledo next week.    — Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge reporter   📣 TOP STORIES   QUALITY OVER QUANTITY: A re-examination of digital tools was already underway in districts, as part of curriculum reviews and budget trimming after years of rapid acquisition since the pandemic. Now, as experts and parents debate concerns about students’ screen time, district leaders are engaged in a quieter but more consequential phase of edtech review: reassessing what stays, what goes and how to decide.   WHAT’S THE USE CASE?: AI for fourth-grade math? Well, not quite. Our research with teachers in grades 3–12 reveal that while many use AI to streamline administrative work, they’re hesitant to integrate AI for instructional technology. The findings suggest that before AI transforms instruction, developers must prove how these tools support teaching and learning.   The following is a message from our sponsor Find. Compare. Decide.   Since 2012, educators have trusted the EdTech Index to find the most complete, reliable, and up-to-date information available for learning technology products, including quality indicators from trusted sources. Explore the EdTech Index today. LEARN MORE!   edtechindex.org   🗞️ IN OTHER NEWS   THE BEAUTIFUL BURDEN OF HARD WORK: Poet and educator katie wills evans, an EdSurge Voices of Change fellow during the 2022-23 school year, understands the all-too-human urge to assign the hard tasks to AI. But writing, though difficult and often frustrating, should never be one of them. “What we lose in the long term by not engaging deeply in the writing process, the practice of giving and receiving feedback, of watching revision unfold, is so much greater than the gains we feel in accepting AI’s ‘help’,” she writes in this essay reflecting on her life since her fellowship.   TRYING TO KEEP UP: A new quarterly survey by the think tank Capita confirms that financial strain continues to confound families and keep them from thriving, as outlined in reporting by Katie Dukes of EdNC.org. The survey found that a surprisingly high share of households with children under 18 report feeling “down, depressed or hopeless.” 🔗 WHAT WE'RE READING   A rural district gave teachers a week to wean off screens. How’d it go? (Chalkbeat)   Melania Trump wants humanoid robots to educate kids. (The New York Times)   In Oklahoma and Texas, edtech companies are profiting from public-private partnerships. (Inc.) On YouTube, AI “slop” threatens to stunt young children’s development. (The 74) 📈 STORY IN A STAT 96 The number of Republican and Democrat signatures on a bipartisan letter supporting robust preschool development grant funding. Child care costs have risen, complicating families’ relationship with the workforce. And the child care system has hit a fragile “tipping point,” as EdSurge has reported. Head Start has been swept up in political battles. Yet, it has also seen an increase in Republicans willing to sign a letter of support, according to the Five Five Years Fund, an early childhood education advocacy organization.   Post a job | See all jobs   Director of IT (Information Technology) | Milken Community School | Los Angeles, CA Milken Community School is seeking a Director of IT with specific 6–12 school experience to manage technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, and core systems (including Google Workspace and Blackbaud), while collaborating with educational leadership.   Director of Curriculum, High School | CodeHS | Chicago, IL We are seeking a Director of Curriculum to lead our high school curriculum development team. This role will oversee the development of high school level computer science courses, and day to day management of the curriculum team.   Director, Generation AI  | ISTE+ASCD | Washington, DC (Hybrid) This grant-funded role manages the strategy, operations, and delivery of ISTE+ASCD's Generation AI program equipping educators with the knowledge and skills to integrate AI into teaching and learning. It requires on‑site work once per week.    Events See all events and meetups   THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke — whatever you’ve got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. EdSurge is an editorially independent project of ISTE+ASCD reporting on the powerful forces, fascinating people and innovative practices shaping teaching and learning. 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