Seattle schools dial back tech
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Seattle Public Schools is pulling back on some classroom technology, blocking YouTube, Minecraft and unapproved generative AI tools starting Monday.
Why it matters: The changes mark a post-pandemic shift for the district, which rapidly expanded individual device use during COVID-19 and is now reconsidering how much technology belongs in the classroom.
Driving the news: YouTube will be blocked for K–5 students, while Minecraft, Gemini and other unapproved AI tools — including Google Search AI summaries — will be blocked for K–12 students, the district announced at a school board meeting Wednesday.
- Students in kindergarten through second grade will have a 30-minute screen time limit, according to the district.
- Starting in January, students in grades 3–5 will no longer receive individual school-issued laptops and will have classroom screen time capped at 60 minutes a day, KUOW reports.
What they're saying: "When I got here, what I saw was a district that was overwhelmed by technology … and now we are being thoughtful and critical," said Superintendent Ben Shuldiner at the meeting.
Zoom out: Families told SPS earlier this year they were concerned about too much screen time replacing hands-on learning, while the district says students have raised concerns about AI's effects on their cognitive abilities, job prospects and academic integrity.
- "I send my kid to school to learn and for his brain to develop," SPS parent Ashley Worobec told Fox 13.
The bottom line: SPS isn't abandoning AI. The district says students should learn to understand and evaluate it.
- Minecraft can still be used as part of an approved instructional program, per Shuldiner, and the district has approved MagicSchool AI for student and staff use.