Teachers union president calls for limits on AI and screen time in schools

EducationTeachers union president calls for limits on AI and screen time in schoolsRandi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is backing a parent-led movement to restrict how much time elementary school students spend on laptops in class. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Randi Weingarten will make her proposals in a speech titled "Devices Down, Eyes Up, Hands On.” Christian Monterrosa / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 27, 2026, 9:00 AM EDTBy Tyler KingkadeThe head of one of the country’s largest teachers unions will call for limits on technology in schools in a speech Wednesday, including blocking most students from using computers in class until they reach third grade, prohibiting student-facing AI in elementary schools and banning “social companion” chatbots until age 16.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, plans to declare that schools “are drowning in tech,” according to an advance copy of her remarks. She will propose an independent research consortium to study the effects of AI and screens on student learning.“Students need their teachers — real human beings, not robots and not chatbots,” she plans to say in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.Weingarten’s comments signal that she is a prominent new ally to a fast-growing grassroots movement of parents pushing to scale back screen time in public schools. The effort, which has bipartisan support, arises from concerns that completing classwork on school-issued laptops distracts students, leading to worse grades and social skills. “I’m not calling for an AI ban or a Chromebook bonfire,” she will say. “What I am calling for is getting the balance right to harness the benefits of technology while mitigating the harms.”The education labor leader’s speech comes one week after the Trump administrat...