Voices: Technology in the classroom doesn’t improve my kids’ education. It’s time to bring back proven learning methods.

I’m a mom of three teenagers and one preteen. We are five years deep into one-to-one device education. Like most Utah families, my children were given school-issued personal devices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, I’m confident these devices have not improved education.

Long gone are textbooks, handwriting and red-penned homework assignments. Instead, kids are watching Youtube, sneaking video games, copying and pasting online math problems, and private messaging each other using Google Docs.

I expect technology to be part of my children’s education, but without clear standards, devices in schools have caused more harm than they have helped.

That’s why I support HB273, better known as The Balance Act. For the first time, teachers and parents will have clear expectations around screen-time in school. The bill introduces a model plan that gives age-appropriate access to school technology, focuses on foundational knowledge and sets healthy limits on screen-time.

And it couldn’t come at a better time for Utah.

Despite widespread adoption of educational technology, or Edtech, math and reading scores are the worst they’ve been in decades. Utah, like many other states, saw steady gains in the National Assessment for Educational Progress scores starting in the 1970s. But math and reading performance have dropped sharply during the era of one-to-one devices and expanding Edtech use.

Supporters of school devices argue they “bridge the gap” for rural or low-income students with limited internet access. I would argue the opposite: An education dependent on devices and connectivity actually creates new gaps. Textbook and paper assignments are accessible to nearly every student. If we truly care about equity, reducing reliance on technology helps ensure all students can fully participate.

And while it is true low-income children historically had less access to devices, technology is no longer limited to wealthier families. According to Common Sense Media, low income children now average more than two additional hours of daily screen time compared to higher income peers.

Schools should model healthy device boundaries, not add to already disproportionate screen exposure.

Additionally, Edtech promised to “personalize learning” with programs that adapt to individual students. In reality, Edtech has made school more impersonal. Children isolate themselves on devices while teachers compete with glowing screens for attention.

This bill puts teachers back at the center of instruction. After all, what’s more personal than real-time feedback from a caring mentor? A computer can spit back scores and rankings, but only a human teacher can tell whether an answer reflects real learning or a lucky guess.

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, educator and neuroscientist, explains that learning is a biological process. In his book, “The Digital Delusion,” he argues that Edtech often fails because it bypasses essential parts of deep learning.

“Learning doesn’t arise from the brain alone; it emerges from the rhythm, movement and sensations of our entire physical selves,” he writes.

Neuroscience backs what parents already know: Kids learn through play, their senses and connecting with others.

Under the Balance Act, hands-on and analog methods take priority, especially for young students. By restricting devices in kindergarten through third grade, children can build strong foundations in the ways they learn best.

Critics argue that children must learn on technology to prepare for a tech-saturated future. But tech is designed to make tasks easier, while real learning requires effort and practice. Strong literacy, numeracy, history and science skills equip children to succeed in whatever future they face.

Our children have been the guinea pigs in a five-year public education experiment. We wanted to believe the promises of Edtech. But Utah’s declining reading and math scores are the canary in the coal mine.

It’s time for clear standards ensuring technology supports education rather than distracts from it.

It’s time to bring teachers and proven learning methods back to the forefront of the classroom and restore academic rigor.

It’s time for The Balance Act.

Liz Jenkins is the mother of four and a volunteer advisor with The Child First Policy Center. She’s a lifelong Utahn, and lives in Sandy.

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