Witnesses urge investment in educator training, research and guidance to distinguish helpful from harmful screen use
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Summary
Educator-preparation leaders and researchers told the subcommittee that most teacher-training programs lack instruction on digital wellness and media literacy, and that federal guidance and research are needed to identify effective classroom uses and protect students who rely on assistive technology.
Speakers at the subcommittee hearing emphasized gaps in educator preparation and research that make it difficult for schools to manage screen time equitably. Cheryl Holcomb McCoy, president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, said most educator- and counselor-preparation programs "still do not include training in screen time, science, digital wellness, or media literacy." She urged targeted investments in federal teacher-quality and educator-preparation grants to build faculty capacity and to evaluate programs that promote healthy digital practice.
Holcomb McCoy and other witnesses recommended four federal priorities: invest in educator preparation programs and grants that incorporate digital-wellness outcomes; restore school-based mental-health funding; fund longitudinal research through the Institute of Education Sciences to differentiate effects of cell phones versus other devices; and reinvest in the Office of Educational Technology to issue age-appropriate, research-informed guidance. "We need longitudinal studies on the effects of screen time from cell phones versus other devices," Holcomb McCoy said.
Members raised concerns about equity and students with disabilities. Representative Ansari and others noted that assistive technology sometimes resides on a student's personal device, and that IDEA and Section 504 protections require schools to ensure access. Holcomb McCoy said policies must avoid removing necessary assistive technology while limiting noninstructional phone use: "We need research that will help inform policy... so that we are not banning all screen time for students because it could be helpful to some and harmful to others."
Witnesses and members also highlighted rural and under-resourced districts' unequal access to counselors and to professional development for teachers. Holcomb McCoy cited American School Counselor Association ratios and said many rural counselors manage caseloads far above recommended levels, leaving students with unmet needs.
Committee members and witnesses recommended federal support—through research funding, grant programs and guidance—to help districts distinguish instructional and assistive uses of screens from noninstructional, harmful uses and to build teacher competence in managing technology in classrooms.