Silicon Valley parents want the tech they help build out of their childrens’ schools
Summary
Some Silicon Valley tech workers are choosing screen-free private schools for their children and organizing to reduce technology use in public schools. Their efforts have helped prompt measures such as phone bans and reduced use of computer-based tests and assignments, amid wider debate about technology’s effects on young people.Key Facts
- German Gil and his wife enrolled their daughter at San Francisco Waldorf, where students in her fourth-grade class spend the school day without screens.
- Kindergarten tuition at San Francisco Waldorf is about $40,000 a year, and high school tuition is close to $60,000.
- The school’s executive director says applications for early childhood enrollment have grown notably, with many new parents working in tech.
- Parents in communities including Mountain View and San Mateo are urging public schools to prioritize human connection over screen time.
- Some public schools have banned phones or reduced computer-based tests and assignments.
- At least two members of a San Mateo Union High School District task force on AI in schools worked at large technology companies, according to a school board trustee.
- Parents interviewed for the article raised concerns about kindergarten students using Chromebooks and about schools’ rules for YouTube and generative AI.
- The article says New York City and Los Angeles school districts have recently adopted measures to reduce technology use in schools.
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