My View
by Maria Williams
Educational Technology: Impacts on Student Learning, Privacy,
and Development
When used intentionally to reflect research-supported strategies, technology can play a valuable role in education. Positive use of screens in schools includes learning how to type, writing papers, creating spreadsheets, and delivering presentations. Select supplementary videos also can support learning.
But while educational technology (EdTech) can offer convenience and enhance efficiency, the negative impacts on student learning, privacy, and development should compel us to question the extensive use of EdTech in our schools.
A common claim about the value of EdTech tools is that they teach “21st century skills.” However, uniquely human skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to foster human relationships are more vital skills for the 21st century. Although EdTech can assist with personalized learning by allowing students to work at their own pace and at a customized level, only a real person can be attuned to a child’s mental state, physical well-being, and particular needs that influence learning.
And contrary to the claim that EdTech improves learning outcomes, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP (also known as The Nation’s Report Card), revealed that since the explosion of EdTech in schools, test scores have declined 7 points in reading and 14 points in math. Similarly, a 2023 global education report showed there is little evidence that digital technologies add value in education.
Furthermore, according to the EdTech Law Center, these technologies harm students in profound ways “by subjecting them to addictive design, targeted advertising, constant surveillance, and algorithmic profiling, depriving children of real-world experiences they need to thrive and undermining their families’ values in the process.”
Serving the business model of the attention economy, EdTech companies gather enormous amounts of data from children and their families—demographic information, grades, attendance, disciplinary and behavioral records, financial and health information, and internet habits—without their voluntary, informed consent. Yet a lack of transparency leaves users unaware of exactly what data is collected, how it is used, and by whom.
But districts and parents are pushing back.
Nationwide, over 100 districts have sued PowerSchool, maker of Schoology, for what is considered to be “one of the most significant breaches of child data ever in the U.S.” And IXL, Inc., another provider of EdTech products, is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly building “a multibillion-dollar empire by monetizing vast troves of personal information that it has taken from students and their parents without their knowledge or consent.” The IXL case prompted the Federal Trade Commission to file an amicus brief (a legal document that aims to educate the court about a particular case) on August 13, 2025, establishing that “school consent” does not comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a law meant to ensure that parents control the collection, use, and disclosure of their children’s personal data.
What can we do at the local level?
For starters, parents in the Grosse Pointe Public School System can connect with other concerned parents to advocate for change. We can inquire about what digital tools our children are using, how those products are vetted, and how children’s personal data is being kept secure. Our district can proceed more slowly and cautiously in its approach to technology, while demanding full transparency from EdTech vendors about their data collection practices.
In consideration of children’s growing bodies, we also should address ergonomic and physical health needs to minimize damage to posture, hands, and eyesight, especially in light of a recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, which concluded that “digital screen time was associated with increased odds of myopia [nearsightedness]” and noted “a potential safe range of 1 hour of daily screen exposure, with a notable rise in risk between 1 and 4 hours of exposure.” Reestablishing computer labs would be one way to reduce screen exposure and limit the use of EdTech in schools.
Given the harmful effects of EdTech on student learning, privacy, and development, schools must prioritize teacher guidance and human interaction over synthetic replacements. And GPPSS should be willing and able to accommodate families who seek to minimize or completely opt out of EdTech without placing an undue burden on parents, students, and teachers.
We must not allow tech companies to continue to profit at our children’s expense.
