Is Technology in Schools Hurting Our Kids?

Is Technology in Schools Hurting Our Kids? A Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Provider’s Perspective

Let’s talk about something that a lot of people are thinking… but not saying out loud.

Technology is everywhere in our children’s education; chromebooks, tablets, online assignments, digital testing.

In many schools, kids are no longer learning with paper, pencils, or hands-on materials, they are learning through screens for most of their day.

We need to ask a question: Is this actually helping our kids learn, or is it quietly working against their development?

What the Data Is Starting to Show

Recent trends, including national education data like NAEP assessments, have shown declines in reading and math performance across the United States.

Now, this is not a simple cause-and-effect situation. There are many factors involved.  But at the same time, we cannot ignore this shift happening alongside a massive increase in digital learning.

We have to ask:

• Are we replacing foundational learning skills too early?
• Are we over-relying on passive forms of learning?
• Are we expecting developing brains to function like fully matured ones?

Learning Is Not Just Visual, It’s Physical

One of the biggest concerns I see, especially from a developmental standpoint, is this:

Children do not learn best by just looking at a screen.

They learn through:

• Movement
• Touch
• Writing
• Manipulating objects
• Trial and error

That brain-body connection is critical.  When a child writes something down, they are engaging multiple areas of the brain at once.  When they physically interact with materials, they are strengthening neural pathways. When learning becomes primarily screen-based, we lose a large part of that process.

Are We Losing Foundational Skills?

Let’s make this practical.

Many children today:

• Struggle to write for extended periods
• Have difficulty forming letters correctly
• Do not learn cursive
• Cannot confidently write their own signature

And yet, these are still real-world skills.  Signing documents is not going away. Writing notes is not going away. Processing information outside of a screen is not going away.

So why are we removing these skills from education?

Faster Does Not Mean Better

Technology is designed to be fast, efficient, and engaging.  But here’s the issue:

Child development is not fast. Learning requires: time to process, time to think, and time to make mistakes. When everything is clickable, instant, auto-corrected, and visually stimulating, we may be training brains to expect speed instead of depth.

What I’m Seeing in Real Life

From a developmental-behavioral perspective, I am seeing more children who:

• Struggle with attention and sustained effort
• Have difficulty with frustration tolerance
• Expect immediate feedback
• Avoid tasks that require effort without instant reward

Now again, this is NOT just technology but it is part of the environment we are creating.

This Is Not About Removing Technology

Let me be very clear. Technology is not the enemy. Our kids need to know how to use it.  It is part of their future. The problem is how early, how often, and how heavily we are relying on it.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

Instead of asking: 

“How much screen time is allowed?”

We should be asking:

• What kind of learning is happening?
• Is this active or passive?
• Are we balancing screen use with real-world interaction?
• Are we supporting brain development, or bypassing it?

Let’s Talk About It

This is not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Parents: What are you seeing at home?
Providers/educators: What are you noticing in kids today?

Coming Next

In my next blog, I’m going to break down something very specific:

Not all screen time is equal.

We’re going to talk about:

• What types of shows may actually support development
• What types may be overstimulating
• And why programs like Cocomelon raise concerns from a developmental perspective

Stay tuned.