Perhaps the starkest change in the past couple of years has been the tech backlash, pushing families, educators and companies to confront the challenges of a tech-heavy school environment in the post-pandemic era.
That is present in a few of the top EdSurge stories from last month.
For instance, one story explained the legal theories being tested in school districts’ lawsuits against social media companies over the addictiveness of their products. The lawsuits have been called “Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment” in some popular press, a reference to the cultural groundswell when accountability came calling. Still another story inspected screen time recommendations from pediatricians. They favor less time in front of screens and more with family.
And my own story explored whether some of the new artificial intelligence tools that schools are using to counsel students through the chaos — caused, in part, by those very tools — are removing something important.
Read below.
— Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge reporter
- New Report Card Grades States on Laws Banning Phones in Schools
A new report gave only two states in the nation an A for their device-banning laws, with more experts pushing for schools to have entirely phone-free days and devices placed in unreachable areas.
- New AAP ‘Screen Time’ Recommendations Focus Less on Screens, More on Family Time
For the first time in a decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines for screen time. Unlike 2016’s recommended two hours or fewer a day, in the latest iteration, pediatricians are focusing on family time versus hourly limits.
- How a Small Louisiana School Misled Families and Thwarted Students’ College Dreams
In this Q&A, the authors of “Miracle Children” discuss how a private ACT prep school in Louisiana exploited racial stereotypes to sell false promises of academic achievement to dozens of families.
- Lawsuits Test New Legal Theories About What Causes Social Media Addiction
Schools don’t tend to shy away from tests, but the results of this one could change the online landscape for a generation of kids. Legal experts talked to EdSurge about how school districts’ lawsuits against social media companies are going around their tried and true defenses to make the case that apps were negligent in their duty to protect users.
Finally, the most popular EdSurge article last month was:
- Can AI Help Students Navigate the Career Chaos It’s Creating?
These days, college and career counselors find themselves having to prepare students for future jobs that they themselves might not understand in a job market that’s rapidly changing. With tight school budgets, they may also have more students than they could reasonably advise. Some schools are piloting AI in the hopes it will help.
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