The EdTech Takeover: What Parents Need to Know About Screens in School with Emily Cherkin

How much of your child's school day is actually happening on a screen, and is that technology helping them learn? This week on Parents Uncharted, Sarah sits down with Emily Cherkin, former middle school teacher, author of The Screen Time Solution, founder of The Screen Time Consultant, and writer behind First Fish Chronicles, for a conversation about the rapid expansion of EdTech in schools. Emily explains why giving children more technology isn't the same as teaching them how technology works, what may be displaced when lessons move onto Chromebooks and digital platforms, and why parents should be asking harder questions about effectiveness, privacy, student data, literacy, and the growing integration of AI into classrooms. They also discuss the difference between EdTech and tech education, the loss of long-form reading, why teachers can become trapped inside technology ecosystems they didn't choose, and what parents can realistically do if they want a more tech-intentional education for their children. If you've spent years thinking about screen time at home but haven't considered how much technology your child is using at school, this episode is an important place to start. Chapters (00:00) – How Much of the School Day Is on a Screen? (02:33) – The Screen Time Parents Aren't Thinking About (04:26) – What Actually Counts as EdTech? (06:41) – Why Is YouTube Being Used in Classrooms? (08:25) – How EdTech Became the Infrastructure of School (11:55) – Is There Evidence EdTech Improves Learning? (13:48) – Is It Effective, Safe, Legal, and Better Than a Teacher? (17:16) – Why Parents Should Care About Student Data & Privacy (20:47) – What Are Screens Displacing? (22:21) – AI Chatbots Are Already Entering Classrooms (23:21) – EdTech, Teacher Workload & the Promise of a Quick Fix (27:12) – EdTech and the Literacy Crisis (32:35) – Are Adults Modelling the Behaviour We Want From Kids? (36:07) – EdTech Is NOT Technology Education (39:40) – Can Parents Actually Opt Out of School Technology? (41:16) – The Question Parents Should Ask Their School (43:52) – Emily's Unplug EdTech Toolkit (45:30) – What Emily Wants Every Parent to Know More About Emily Cherkin Emily Cherkin, M.Ed., The Screentime Consultant, is leading the fight for a Tech-Intentional™ childhood. Emily works with schools, families, policymakers, and advocacy organizations to ensure the future of education prioritizes skills, safety, and relationships over screens, EdTech, and A.I. Emily is an author, speaker, consultant, and associate professor of public policy at the University of Washington. She is also co-chair of Fairplay’s Screens in Schools Action Network and the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against one of the largest EdTech companies in the world. Emily is also the creator of the UnPlug EdTech Toolkit. Connect with Emily Cherkin Website: www.thescreentimeconsultant.com Instagram: @thescreentimeconsultant LinkedIn: @emily-cherkin Connect with Sarah Adams: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://parentsuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/parents.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices