As concerns grow nationwide regarding student screen time and the role of technology in classrooms, Nevada educators and parents are grappling with how much is too much.

Across the country, parents are voicing concerns about excessive screen time in schools and lobbying educators to go back to pencil and paper. In places such as Lower Merion Township, where Aliyah Pack goes to high school, some are taking it even further.

More than 600 people in the affluent Philadelphia suburb have signed a petition asking to preserve parents' ability to opt their children out of using digital devices during the school day. The public school district has pushed back, saying it's not feasible to let hundreds of students opt out of technology that is essential to the curriculum.

At a school board meeting to discuss updates to the district's technology policies, including repealing a policy that allows opt outs, more than 100 people showed up to protest, many wearing buttons that said "Screens Down, Pencils Up."

Many emphasized they're not anti-tech — in fact, most parents agree that learning how to responsibly use computers is an essential life skill. They just don't want tech to dominate the classroom.

"Teaching how to use technology is not the same thing as using technology to teach everything else," said Sara Sullivan, a parent.

The increased use of technology in classrooms started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now Nevada parents are raising alarms about excessive screen time in schools and wanting to return to more traditional methods of learning. 

"It's mind-boggling to me that we don't fund dedicated art and PE teachers in all our Washoe County elementary schools but somehow have the money for iPads in kindergarten," said Brandi Vesco, leader of Sparks' Wait Until 8th campaign, which aims to limit children's use of technology. "And that my 8-year-old often only gets 15 minutes of recess in a six-hour school day — but must spend at least 60 minutes a week on i-Ready."

The nationwide Wait Until 8th program is a parent-led campaign that seeks to delay giving children access to mobile devices until the end of 8th grade. The goal is to limit early exposure to social media and excessive screen time.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory Warning on the Harms of Screen Use, screen time increases with age. Toddlers spend an average of about two hours using media daily. By the pre-teen and teen years, screen use reaches an average of four or more hours per day. Nearly 50 percent of adolescents admit they lose track of the amount of time they spend on their phone.

In Nevada, the state's decade-old Nevada Ready 21 program helped put more devices in classrooms. The program was created in 2016 as a statewide initiative to ensure Nevada middle and high school students would have a technology-rich education by giving them 24-hour access to laptops. The program was discontinued by the Nevada Department of Education in 2021 as it and myriad other education funds were consolidated into the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan.

"The mass migration to screens in schools also makes it hard to keep up with how my child is actually doing academically," Vesco said.

"Her third grade reading and math tests no longer come home on paper and are tough to access online. When homework moved to the computer this year, we were able to opt in for paper, but our request for hard-copy tests was denied," she added.

This classroom debate has intensified as artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more accessible to students. 

According to a recent report by The Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, AI has unfolded in the classroom quicker than any other technology. According to the report, it took seven years for the Internet to have 100 million users, but only 60 days for ChatGPT to meet that mark. 

During a recent legislative interim committee meeting on education, policymakers and experts raised questions about how AI is affecting students. While some believe that AI can make learning more relevant and personalized, others believe it raises serious concerns around academic integrity, privacy and bias.

"Look at the factors like just how AI and social media have blown up," Paul LaMarca, the chief student and family support officer for Washoe County School District, said during the meeting. "I think there are a variety of influences that are affecting student attendance, and none of it is good."

Others say technology in the classroom remains essential if used responsibly.

Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said the state's largest school district has adopted an AI policy that "outlines the route to responsible use of AI in our classrooms and school buildings."

"I look forward to working with state leaders to continue prioritizing responsible use of technology in our classrooms, so that students have the skills needed to succeed in their careers today and into the future," Ebert said in a statement.

Still, parents are concerned.

"At this point, we can't afford to spend our limited education funds on anything not proven to help students learn," said Vesco.