Here's what's happening — and why it matters.
When did school become a place where kids interact with screens. [Open with a clear, plain-spoken summary of the situation. What is happening in your community? When did it start? Who is making the decision, and who is being affected? Aim for 2–3 sentences that anyone can understand.]
The problem
[Describe the issue in more detail. What changed, what's at stake, and what's the realistic worst-case if nothing is done? Use specific local details — street names, neighborhoods, dates, dollar amounts — to make it concrete.]
- International studies show - in contrast with the studies that are commissioned by tech companies - similar to vaping
- Digital Native - myth
- Big Tech stands to gain
"...In another instance during my days volunteering in the classroom, a kindergartner had a breakdown when he was asked to do his worksheets before his iPad time, screaming, 'I want my iPad back! Give me my iPad back!' Later, he rolled around on the ground and sobbed, 'This is boring! This is boring! I don’t want to be here!'" — Classroom observations from Alice Rhee, Fairbanks North Star Borough District
What we're asking for
We want our local school districts (Fairbanks North Star Borough, Anchorage, etc.) to take action on the following changes for the 2026-2027 school year.
Our three demands:
- Formalize a Tech Opt-Out Policy — Our children shouldn't be denied a public education because we want them to have the option to read books or interact with others instead of staring at a screen for hours a day. There's zero large-scale evidence that general classroom tech improves learning.
- Create a Tech Use Task Force — We want intentional, purposeful tech usage--not just tech for the sake of tech. Conduct a tech audit and codify what our values are. Develop and publish a tech usage philosophy with clear, defensible, data-driven guidance on when, why, and how digital tools will be used and how they support our values.
- Ban Screens from Grades K-3 —There's no need for screens in early education. Five-year-olds don't need iPads as soon as they enter public school. They need human support.
How we got here
Alabama HB 78 and Utah HB 273 become the first laws to establish classroom screen time restrictions for early elementary students. EdTech regulations cascade across the nation. 12 other states introduce bills addressing concerns about replacing teacher-led instruction with digital learning tools.
The second largest school district in the U.S. (Los Angeles Unified) votes to restrict screen time in schools!
An extensive, research-backed article was emailed to the FNSBSD and the local AK movement kicks off.
The 2026-2027 school year begins, and with it, the chance to enact meaningful change for our kids. That's why we need signatures by then, to demonstrate to policy makers that this matters.
Additional Resources
- EdTech Opt Out ToolKit. Created by Emily Cherkin, blahblah
- The Digital Delusion. Written by neuroscientist Dr. Jared blah
Who we are
This initiative was kicked off in May 2026 by Alice Rhee of Fairbanks, AK. With over 10+ years of experience as a UX researcher for Silicon Valley tech companies like Twitch and Mozilla Firefox, she could clearly see how Big Tech companies benefit from having kids hooked on their branded devices in the classroom and the long-term neurological and data privacy harms that entailed.
Her husband, a teacher with over 21 years of experience, had also observed distressing changes in his students' attention spans, mental health, and critical thinking skills over the years.
When her kindergartner began compulsively seeking out any game-like experience he could find at home after playing gamified "learning" apps on his classroom iPad daily, she took a stand to try and share the impacts of tech on children's brains and surface the big money at play beneath the surface.
Ready to add your name?
Every signature makes our case stronger. It takes 30 seconds!
Sign the petition