Screen-heavy classrooms may weaken the interpersonal skills that AI cannot replace, professors argue

As schools continue heavy reliance on digital devices post-pandemic, educators warn that individualized screen-based learning reduces opportunities for collaboration and conversation. Two professors contend that person-to-person interactions are crucial for cognitive development and that distinctly human traits like empathy and judgment become more valuable in an AI-driven workplace. Lawmakers in at least 17 states have introduced or debated legislation addressing classroom screen use, reflecting a growing backlash.

The professors’ argument rests on developmental research showing that peer discussion and negotiation shape reasoning skills more effectively than solitary digital tasks. Their op-ed follows a broader pattern: standardized test declines have coincided with increased classroom screen time, and neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath testified that Gen Z’s cognitive performance has slipped relative to prior cohorts. Los Angeles Unified’s recent restrictions on early-grade screens signal that school boards are responding to parental and legislative pressure, with at least 17 states weighing related bills.

Beyond test scores, the concern centers on how adaptive software isolates learners. When students work through problems individually, they miss the chance to hear alternative strategies or practice articulating their own logic—interactions that build the empathy and judgment increasingly prized in workplaces shaped by artificial intelligence. The professors frame this not as Luddism but as a deliberate counterbalance to children’s already screen-saturated lives outside school.