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In context: Child behavior experts have long warned about the harmful effects of excessive screen time and have urged parents to limit their children’s smartphone use. Now, parents in California are starting to heed those warnings and are pushing back against the Los Angeles Unified School District over what they see as excessive reliance on technology in the classroom.

The movement to reduce screen time for school children is being led by a parent coalition called Schools Beyond Screens, founded by concerned mother Lila Byock. The group is campaigning against the mandatory use of iPads, Chromebooks, and other electronic devices in classrooms, arguing that they are negatively affecting students’ academic performance.

Angry parents also claim that their children have developed behavioral problems after prolonged use of school-issued devices, often because the kids spend time playing video games or watching YouTube instead of doing schoolwork. Others warn that students are using the devices to access inappropriate content, including pornography and gratuitous violence.

Byock says her son’s math grades dropped significantly in sixth grade because he struggled to stay on task while using his school-issued iPad. She also questioned why schools distribute iPads while banning smartphones, noting that "kids are using the school-issued devices in exactly the same way."

Other parents say the school-issued devices are dramatically increasing their children’s screen time, despite their efforts to limit online activity at home. One mother noted that her first-grader wet himself four times in a month because he was so absorbed in his iPad that he wouldn’t get up to use the bathroom.

While the school district claims students spend less than two hours per day on screens, parents argue that the estimate does not include iPad use. Teachers have also raised concerns about over-reliance on technology, especially as many students are allegedly using AI tools such as ChatGPT to complete their assignments.

United Teachers Los Angeles, a union representing more than 35,000 public school educators, is negotiating with the district to reduce classroom technology use. A middle school science teacher and union member who spoke to NBC News said digital learning tools can be helpful, but warned that requiring their constant use may do more harm than good.

It is the first major school district to face organized resistance to the expanded use of classroom technology. While child psychologists have welcomed the idea of more limited and supervised screen time, some district officials warn that scaling back technology could leave students at a disadvantage in an increasingly digital world.