NYC Council holding hearing on screen time and use of digital devices in schools
A New York City Council committee will be raising questions to the Department of Education about the use of technology in the classroom, including screen time and AI, at a hearing Tuesday.
Two council members want the department to cut back on screen time in city public schools because they said evidence doesn't show that it improves learning.
State lawmakers previously banned cellphones during the school day from bell to bell. Now, the biggest target is YouTube.
Members Shekar Krishnan and Eric Dinowitz want students blocked from freely using the platform on school devices.
That doesn't necessarily mean a teacher couldn't show a video for a lesson, but they want the department to prove there's an actual educational reason for using it.
The City Council released a 28-page briefing report reviewing years of research and audits from the city and state that found more screen time and devices don't reliably improve student achievement.
The members are also looking into one-to-one devices given to younger students and whether some testing should go back to pencil and paper.
According to the report, during the pandemic, the department bought 511,000 iPads for $287 million, plus about $4 million a month for data.
An audit by the comptroller's office later found the city didn't have a central system to track them, including more than 3,000 cases where students received multiple iPads.
These issues are expected to be addressed at the oversight hearing at 1 p.m. Before the hearing, council members, parents and teachers are holding a rally outside of City Hall at noon.
