Exclusives

EXCLUSIVE: Asst. Commerce Secretary Roth Reveals The Issues Facing Classrooms That Rely Too Much On Screens

ChatGPT / Daily Caller News Foundation

Exposure to pornography, stunted development and anxiety are just a few of the issues that come with the over-reliance on technology in classrooms, Assistant Commerce Secretary Arielle Roth told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Roth revealed that more than 280 teachers, students and child development experts believe that screens in classrooms harm children’s development and their mental health, according to comments she submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday. This comes as the agency considers reforms to a $3 billion program that subsidizes internet access for schools and libraries.

Roth believes involving parents more in their education may help solve the problem.

“One key priority of the Trump administration is that parents should be empowered when it comes to their children’s technology use, and K-12 education is a clear example in which that’s not consistently happening. Many parents see tying an opt-out condition to subsidies as a common sense opportunity to rectify this problem,” Roth, who is also the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA), told the DCNF in an interview.

“There’s this emerging, growing consensus that routine or default screen-based instruction, where every subject is taught through Ed-Tech or a screen, has been detrimental to children’s educational and developmental outcomes,” she said.

Roth emphasized that relying solely on these digital devices may hinder children’s learning.

“One thing a lot of the experts said in the listening session is that we’re not against kids learning about technology or how to use technology, typing skills in a computer lab under supervised conditions, or how a computer works,” the head of the NTIA revealed. “The difference is that this has been converted into a model where kids are taught everything from reading to math to science through a screen.”

The FCC in June said it would review the E-Rate program and propose reforms, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr believing increased screen time negatively impacts children’s mental health and performance in school, according to The Hill.

“The FCC has a role to play … we want to take a fresh look at that program to make sure we’re supporting great educational outcomes,” Carr said in a statement at the time, per The Hill. “Are parents really empowered? Do they know that these kids are using these connections? Are the right types of safety filters in place?”

The FCC established the E-Rate program as part of enacting the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ensure affordable access to internet services for schools and libraries, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

An FCC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a DCNF comment request.

Parents, teachers and researchers pointed during the roundtables pointed to declining academic performance, lower reading comprehension and shortened attention spans, blaming internet-connected devices that “prioritized engagement over learning,” according to the NTIA’s comments to the FCC, which the DCNF obtained.

“Engagement with a screen is not synonymous with learning,” one pediatrician and a mother said during the panel.

Many parents expressed concern that schools provided children in preschool and in kindergarten with iPads and other internet-connected devices, exposing the children to YouTube videos and other digital platforms.

Another parent and teacher recounted that her young son became erratic when he was asked to stop using these gamified EdTech products. Other speakers reported concerns about attention problems, inability to tolerate boredom and limited physical activity.

One parent asked why if her family does not allow social media or YouTube at home, “is it okay for them to use [it] in the classroom without parental consent.”

Many speakers at the roundtable said that the E-Rate program, as structured, “subsidizes and reinforces” screen-based instruction.

Peter R., a parent said that the E-Rate program “prioritiz[ed] connectivity over education and wellness” and argued the FCC should rein in the program. Michael M. said parents should have the option to opt-out of what he called a “terrible social experiment.”

Many parents referred to school internet safety policies as a “joke,” as one parent cited a survey of more than 1,000 parents and teachers that found students, including those in elementary school, had seen pornography on school-issued devices.

Teachers’ organizations have criticized the FCC’s work to reform the E-Rate program.

“Decisions about when and how to limit screen time must rest with educators who are best positioned to judge whether a given use of technology serves instruction. It’s also important to note that across the board device access restrictions often carry real and uneven costs. Students with IEPs, 504 plans, and multilingual learners often depend on assistive features built into their devices,” the National Education Association (NEA) said in comments submitted to the FCC on Tuesday.

“The Commission must recognize that appropriate screen use is context dependent. There is a time and place for screens when they serve a clear educational purpose, and screen time shouldn’t be seen as uniformly negative,” the teachers’ organization added.

The NEA did not immediately respond to a DCNF comment request.

Roth’s submitted comments to the FCC follow as Senate Commerce Committee found that a consultant industry has collected $200 to $400 million every year to help schools and libraries to receive funds from the E-Rate program, according to the committee’s investigative report.

A Commerce Committee spokesperson referred the DCNF to the committee’s report and press release on the matter.

“Consultants should not be skimming hundreds of millions of dollars off a program intended to serve children. Twenty-nine years ago, the E-Rate program was created with the fundamental purpose of connecting schools and libraries to the internet,” Committee Chairman Ted Cruz said in a written statement. “With that goal having been achieved, consultants can now exploit an old system, wasting funding and enabling opportunities for fraud. This report exposes serious flaws and makes key recommendations to modernize the E-Rate program and ensure the program benefits those who truly need it.”