Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, unveiled a plan to limit technology in schools, including prohibiting AI use by elementary students as well as companion chatbots for all until age 16, according to a speech on Wednesday.
Weingarten, head of the union of more than 1.8 million members, called for a screen ban, including online assessments, for students in pre-K through second grade, as well as a total ban on “social companion” chatbots that simulate human relationships for students under the age of 16.
“We are at a crossroads that will define the future of work and society,” she said. “Without proper oversight and strong guardrails, there will be real dangers to our safety, privacy, climate and the very fabric of society.”
Weingarten said she is “not calling for a total ban on AI or a Chromebook bonfire,” but for leaders to evaluate effects on critical thinking skills and “cognitive offloading” to “really prepare young people for complex challenges.” She also called for an independent research group to study the effects of screens and AI on learning.
Weingarten’s 10-point plan comes a week after the Trump administration issued a surgeon general advisory warning against excessive screen time, and urged schools to prioritize physical textbooks, ban cellphones and expand physical and social activities. Weingarten said that the Trump administration has instead prioritized technology companies’ expansion in schools through voucher schemes, while gutting the Department of Education and withholding $300 million in research funding.
“With this administration, we are on our own,” Weingarten said. “Yes, I’m not a detective, I am a school teacher, but I see some clues between the Trump administration’s laissez-faire approach to addressing the harms of technology and the tech titans who are funding the president’s ballroom, his presidential library and his political action committees.”
A White House spokesperson said Weingarten “is the last person who should be weighing in about what is best for American students” because the union advocated for safety measures when schools reopened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Weingarten also criticized Democrats for remaining passive on the threats of AI and excessive screen use.
“Democrats have been and still are among the strongest advocates of strengthening public education,” she said. “But too few Democratic leaders speak clearly about the fundamental importance of public education as a national priority. And too many want to resurrect the failures of high-stakes testing, are pushing privatization or are frankly AWOL from efforts to make the public schools, which 90% of American children attend, the very best they can be.”
This story originally appeared in EdSource.
