Childhood and Education #20: Phones and Screens

We have a respite, so I thought I’d tackle various thoughts on children, phones and screens. GPT-5.6-Sol drops tomorrow, and the Fable agents are hard at work. I’ll start with the other screens, then finish with the phones. Table of Contents EdTech. NonEdTech. Do Not Ban Social Media Outright. Some Modern Kids Media Is Pretty Great. Ban Phones In Schools (1). Your Offer Is Acceptable. Ban Phones In Schools (2). Screen Time. Inappropriate Content. EdTech Increasingly, when you pick a school, you are picking EdTech. The school will put your child on a tablet or computer, and expect them to learn that way. In theory, with sufficient assistance and bespoke design and incentive structures, this is The Way. It sure seems way better than ‘sit and listen to a lecture.’ I am especially excited for Alpha School’s version of this, with its bespoke designs and high level of both expectations and continuous human support. Alas, most people are getting a much worse version, that is much worse than what you could easily improvise at home. I’m less concerned with ‘EdTech provider is bilking the system with its torment nexus’ and more concerned with ‘children assigned to spend their days in the torment nexus.’ Ryan Moulton : When you chose a school for your kids, you probably didn’t realize you were choosing educational software, but that choice of software might be more consequential for your kid than the choice of school. Kelsey Piper : A very well-written, very justifiably angry parental…