German Gil is a software engineer who has worked for major tech companies including Netflix and Facebook. Like many parents in Silicon Valley — the hub of the technology industry near San Francisco — he spends most of his day in front of screens. Yet when it came to his daughter's schooling, he made a surprising choice: he enrolled her at the San Francisco Waldorf School, where children learn without any screens at all.
Waldorf students bind books by hand instead of working on laptops. Kindergarten fees at the school reach $40,000 a year — a price many families cannot afford. Still, applications are growing, and many new parents work in the tech industry itself.
This may seem contradictory, but it appears that some of the people who build our digital world are not convinced it belongs in the classroom. Tech workers, it seems, have insider knowledge about these products — and what they see does not always reassure them.
Meanwhile, other parents are pushing public schools to reduce screen time too. Some districts have banned phones. Others have stopped sending laptops home with young children. In Mountain View, schools are stepping back from a popular digital learning programme after parents complained it was repetitive and shared student data without consent.
The concern is not just about distraction. Research suggests that children retain information better when they read and write on paper. Critics also argue that too much screen time weakens the bond between student and teacher — a bond that is central to how children learn and grow emotionally.
"You are much more likely to put in effort for a teacher you love than for a computer," said one education researcher.
But there is a troubling side to this story. Wealthy parents can afford screen-free private schools or have the influence to pressure public districts into change. Poorer communities may have no such options. As wealthier families leave public schools, they take public funding with them — leaving behind larger class sizes and fewer teachers.
Some experts warn that children in low-income areas could end up spending even more time on screens, not less — simply because their schools cannot afford anything better.
The question of how much tech belongs in education is far from settled. What does seem clear is that the answer may depend, uncomfortably, on how much money your family has.