Experts warn classroom screens may erode human skills needed for an AI era

University of Pennsylvania and University of Portland professors Sarah Schneider Kavanagh and Katie A. Danielson warned that substituting textbooks with tablets is harming both academic performance and essential interpersonal skills. Their one outlet's op-ed notes that children lose chances to wait, negotiate, and explain ideas when learning is individualized through adaptive software. Test scores in math and reading have dropped in districts that embraced screens, and neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath told a Senate committee that Generation Z now scores lower on standardized assessments than its predecessors, a trend he links to increased computer time.

The authors argue that human capacities such as curiosity, empathy, and collaboration will become more valuable as AI advances. In response, at least 17 states are considering legislation on classroom devices, and Los Angeles Unified has prohibited screen use for preschool through first grade while limiting it for older students. They maintain that schools should foster conversation and collective problem-solving rather than digital consumption.