Some Silicon Valley parents are trying to keep classroom technology to a minimum, even as many work in the industry that creates it. Software engineer German Gil, who has worked at companies including Netflix, Facebook and GitHub, chose San Francisco Waldorf for his daughter, Victoria. The private school emphasizes nature-based play and keeps students away from screens during the school day; its fourth graders bind books by hand rather than working on Chromebooks.
The school is costly, with annual tuition listed at $40,000 for kindergarten and close to $60,000 for high school. Its executive director, Lauren Smith, says applications for early childhood enrollment have grown notably and that many new parents work in technology.
Some families are also campaigning for changes in public schools. Parents in communities including San Mateo, Mountain View and Palo Alto have called for less screen time and more emphasis on interaction between students and teachers. In San Mateo, schools have stopped sending Chromebooks home with children in kindergarten through second grade, and high school students face a district-wide cellphone ban. Mountain View schools are moving away from the i-Ready learning program, while Palo Alto public schools have prohibited smart glasses.
Parents say they were surprised to find young children using devices for schoolwork. Writer Jillian Kolongowski said her five-year-old daughter was sent home with a Chromebook for math practice. Palo Alto college counselor Candice Wei began investigating local school technology after learning her kindergarten-age son used screens in class with few restrictions. Wei later started a local chapter of Schools Beyond Screens, a parent advocacy group.
The shift comes as families and schools reconsider technology’s role in education. Digital tools became central to remote learning during the pandemic and remained in many classrooms afterward. A New York Times survey in 2025 found that 99% of surveyed schoolteachers said students received school-issued devices, while 81% said their schools provided screens by kindergarten.
Critics of extensive classroom technology argue that students may retain information better when writing on paper, and that screen-based learning can displace interaction with teachers. Yvonne Kao, a learning sciences and technology director at nonprofit WestEd, said students may be more willing to put effort into work for a teacher they care about than for a computer.
Parents in tech communities also say their familiarity with the industry helps them assess products and question companies’ claims. A San Mateo school district taskforce examining AI included volunteers from major technology companies, according to school board trustee Jennifer Jacobsen. Some parents are asking districts to evaluate vendors and require evidence that products improve learning.
However, access to alternatives is unequal. Private schools can often change policies more quickly and may have more resources to spend on teachers, while some districts lack staff to assess technology or keep up with purchasing practices. Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, said tight budgets can make it tempting for schools to use technology in place of people. He warned that children in lower-income areas could end up spending more time on screens, even when their families would prefer otherwise.
Stanford education professor Antero Garcia said private schools may be the only route to screen-free education in some places. But when families leave public schools, he noted, funding can leave with them, potentially contributing to fewer teachers, larger classes or school closures. Garcia also said parents with the resources to leave may be among those best positioned to press for changes within public schools.
Sources: The Guardian Education.