Few issues have moved from the margins to the center of education faster than children’s relationship with screens. While smartphones, tablets, and social media have become woven into daily family life, teachers are increasingly asking whether that constant connection is changing not only how students learn, but also how they behave, interact with classmates, and cope with stress.
Those questions prompted Chapel District Elementary School to launch an experiment that was surprisingly simple: take away iPads during the first part of the school day. What happened next caught the attention of teachers, administrators, and parents alike. Instead of staring silently at screens, students began talking, building, solving problems together, and engaging with one another in ways many educators say have become increasingly rare.
The effort grew into a broader community conversation inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. Rather than telling parents how to raise their children, school leaders chose a different approach—sharing research, encouraging honest discussion, and exploring practical ways families and schools can work together to create a healthier balance between technology and childhood.
In this Spy interview, we speak with Kari Clow, Principal of Chapel District Elementary, and one of the educators leading that effort about what her school has observed over two decades in the classroom, why she believes moderation—not prohibition—is the goal, and what parents, teachers, and communities can do to help children spend a little less time on screens and a little more time being seen.
