School-Issued Chromebooks: Policies, Risks, and Parent Advocacy

Question: I'm a mom of 3 kids, 11 and younger, as well as a family medicine clinician. I'm alarmed by the amount and quality of screen time they are exposed to at school through Chromebooks. Our district has banned cell phones in schools, but each child is issued a Chromebook and middle schoolers carry it with them all day and to and from school. They have unsupervised access to ChatGPT, many YouTube videos, and have found ways around the blocks on many gaming sites. I'm wondering if there are school districts or states that have dealt with this at the policy level and what resources there might be to help advocate for change at the school board, district, or state level?

Answer: Thank you for your question. Many parents are thoughtfully considering how school-issued devices are used and the types of content students may access on them. During and after the pandemic, many schools adopted 1:1 Chromebook policies to support distance learning, and generally these policies have not been updated to consider quality, quantity, and developmental appropriateness of what students can access.  

Technology remains an important part of education to help students: 

• build technical skills,  
• practice academic skills,  
• learn digital and media literacy, and 
• make education and teaching more inclusive.  

For example, students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or hearing/visual impairments can be provided with augmented learning tools, including assistive technologies on laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, or phones.  

Teachers have reported that technology in the classroom can help them gain insight into what their students know or what they need. 

On the other hand, teachers also have concerns over safety and if technology is being used at the expense of other learning methods. As Center of Excellence co-medical director Dr Radesky explained in recent testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, technology use should be managed intentionally. It’s crucial for parents to engage in ongoing conversations with their school districts about policies that balance educational benefits with appropriate safeguards for students.  

For more information on challenges related to educational technology, along with guidance and best practices for parents, see this previous portal response.  

Local School-Issued Personal Devices Policies 

School districts across the country have begun engaging in discussions about policies related to school-issued personal devices. For example:  

• One parent in Palatine, Illinois urged their school board to reexamine their one-to-one device policy stating that device (Chromebook) popularity grew during the COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity rather than pedagogical best practices or showing better learning outcomes.  
• After receiving concerns from parents regarding their kids' technology use during school, a school board in Evanston/Skokie, Illinois discussed greater restrictions on technology use during the school day and doing more research on its impact on students. They planned to: 
  • review the district's stance on items such as what apps are available to students during the school day,  
  • switch indoor recess to be technology-free,  
  • develop cell phone policies for middle schoolers, and  
  • limit access to YouTube on school-issued devices.  
• Another school board in Lexington/Richland, South Carolina reviewed and voted on their district’s Chromebook policy. Parents and some teachers had brought their concerns to the school board regarding students accessing inappropriate content on their Chromebooks and wanted to remove the devices from possession of the children, if the school board could not ensure that their children would be exposed to age-inappropriate content.  

State and National Level Policies 

At a broader level, policies have been introduced to limit or prohibit smartphone use in schools, particularly during instructional time. You can review statewide laws and policies related to cellphones in schools here.  

In contrast, there has been less discussion at the state or national level regarding school-issued devices, which makes parent engagement especially important.  

What Parents Can Do 

Several parent-led organizations, such as Distraction-Free Schools, have developed model policies and offer guidance on how to engage with your local school district. By coming together, parents can help encourage thoughtful dialogue and advocate for policies that best support their communities’ learning and well-being.  

For more guidance, including example questions that parents can ask their child’s teacher or school leadership about the use of educational technology in the classroom, please see the Guidance for Parents section of this previous portal response (also noted above). 

We encourage parents and families to share their voice, find likeminded individuals in your community and take action locally - speak at school board meetings, your school’s PTA, or with other community leaders.  

References 

• Marchant, B. (2025, October 31). S.C. school district rejects parent request to ban Chromebooks. GovTech.  
• Molyneux, G., & Baer-Bositis, L. (2023). Surveys of teachers and parents on educational technology (Memo No. ME-14570). Hart Research on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers.  
• Parent group asks District 15 to scale back student screen time and rethink 1:1 Chromebook practices. (2025, May 13). CitizenPortal.ai.  
• Prothero, A., Langreo, L., & Klein, A. (2024, June 28). Which states ban or restrict cellphones in schools? Education Week.  
• Radesky, J. (2026, January 15). Written testimony for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing: “Plugged Out: Examining the Impact of Technology on America’s Youth.” U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.  

Age: 6-13 

Topics: School-issued devices, Chromebooks, digital wellbeing, K-12, educational technology, edtech, tech in schools, advocacy, parent advocacy, state legislation 

Role: Parent and Clinician