Question: My child regularly uses a tablet at school. Should I be concerned?

 

Answer: Since the One Laptop per Child initiative in 2005 and the launch of the iPad in 2010, K-12 education has been one pathway through which young children start using internet-connected technologies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, adoption of tablets and laptops became nearly universal in US public K-12 schools. 

It’s helpful to understand that when it comes to educational research on technology, outcomes measured are typically short-term – meaning, they capture how well a group of children learn new academic skills within a matter of hours, days, or weeks. Research in schools (unlike research in children’s homes/communities) rarely measures what technology use is displacing during a school day or how technology is used (e.g., to keep kids occupied/calm, which is a gap in the research).

When it comes to educational technology or screen media used at home, it is important to recognize that not all technology is created equal. Well-designed technology, which has an educational curriculum without gimmicks, distracting elements, or features to prolong engagement, can yield positive outcomes when integrated thoughtfully by teachers. In addition, when technology is used in the classroom intentionally, and teachers have the right support to help it complement other classroom teaching practices, it can enhance learning experiences. 

Here are some things to consider about touchscreen devices used for education:

  1. Specific app features: is it interactive and at the right skill level?
  2. App approach: is it play-based and/or does it allow for child-led exploration?
  3. Instructional grouping/adult feedback: is the child using the app in a small group, in pairs, or individually, and do they receive feedback from a teacher on their activity?
  4. Child age and previous experience/familiarity with touchscreens: does the child understand how to use different features of learning programs?

Below, we have provided links to the current scientific literature to show the positive and negative impacts of touchscreen devices on young children’s learning. Keep scrolling to find recommendations for parents and educators! 

What does the evidence say about the positive impacts of touchscreen devices? 

  • One systematic review reported the majority of the findings up through 2022 on the effects of touchscreen devices on children’s (ages 2-8) learning. The authors found that out of 54 total studies, 34 reported positive effects, 17 reported mixed findings, and 2 reported negative effects:
    • The majority of the literature reported that touchscreen interventions in schools were successful – children’s mathematics achievement was greater with tablets in comparison to traditional, non-touchscreen methods such as workbooks. Also, several studies found that eBooks on devices, equipped with interactive features (e.g. animations that explained the story or teaching points), aided comprehension more than print books did.
    • It’s important to note that, in this review, more than one-third of the studies involved interventions that focused on immediate outcomes of touchscreen technologies (i.e. short intervention sessions like 5-40 minutes using a device and measuring effects immediately afterward) rather than looking at long-term outcomes after using the technologies for months at a time.
  • A meta-analysis from 2018 showed a significant effect of touchscreens on youth learning (children aged 0-5), meaning that better learning outcomes were detected when children used touchscreens compared to non-touchscreen usage (for example, the comparison group used traditional classroom teaching, mouse-based computers, paper/pencil, or physical objects). The studies included in this analysis involved learning STEM- and language-based outcomes like recall, comprehension, and transfer performance, which refers to how a child transferred skills and knowledge learned in one task to a completely different task in a different context.

What does literature reveal about touchscreen stylus vs. pencil + paper learning methods?

  • Researchers in a training study taught kindergarten children 16 letters by handwriting with a pencil on a sheet of paper, by writing with a stylus on a tablet computer, or by typing letters using a virtual keyboard on a tablet across 7 weeks. Kids in the pencil group showed superior results in letter recognition and improved visuo-spatial skills compared with keyboard training. For children using the stylus, their performance did not significantly differ neither from the keyboard nor from the pencil groups. Furthermore, keyboard training revealed better results in word writing and reading compared with handwriting with a stylus on a tablet, but not compared with the pencil group. With higher demands on motor control, the authors concluded that writing with a stylus is the least favorable writing tool, but longer-term studies need to compare writing technologies, or tapping/drawing on a screen,  in more depth.
  • One study published this year looked at the effects of real-time adaptive feedback on 7th graders’ performances in tablet-based geometry learning. Three groups of students were compared: paper-and-pencil, pen-based tablet without feedback, and pen-based tablet with feedback. The feedback was developed through a tutoring system based on AI, which automatically interpreted students’ writing with a pen on the screen. Results showed that students using a tablet without feedback did not have improved learning, but the use of the tablet itself seemed to have heightened interest in the task in comparison to the pencil-and-paper group. Students in the tablet with feedback group performed significantly better than the other two groups on learning and transfer. Although this study is in older children, it suggests that educational technology that provides tailored feedback to students based on their learning needs and abilities can be beneficial.

Does research show any negative effects on youth learning when touchscreen devices are used in classrooms?

Although there is no research on the effects of using touchscreens to keep students occupied or for entertainment purposes, teachers report that school-issued touchscreen devices can pose downsides such as:

  • Increased classroom management problems
  • Greater sources of distraction for students (e.g. if games, social media platforms or Google Chat are accessible on the devices)
  • Lack of sufficient training on integration of technology in classrooms, so teachers, especially older instructors, are wary of implementing devices in the first place

Recommendations:

What can parents do?

  • Some parents are stressed about schools using tech in early childhood classrooms. We encourage parents to talk to the school’s teachers and administration. If they have a concern with any practices that teachers utilize in classrooms, ask if alternative teaching methods are available.
  • We encourage parents to talk to their children about what they do when using technology devices in the classroom. Are they getting distracted when their teacher has tasked them with something? Are they playing video or online games? If yes, talk with your child and the teacher about ways to reduce these distractions or uninstall video games.
  • It’s OK to ask teachers:
    • Which lessons or activities are touchscreens used for?
    • Does the school have a goal to follow an approach like the Ed Tech triangle?
    • How does my child handle transition away from the touchscreen? Does this cause more problems?
    • Do they use a curriculum like Common Sense Education that teaches young kids about their relationship with technology?

What can Educators do?

5 Cs of Media Use:

Incorporating technology use in the classroom can be a balancing act that requires careful consideration by educators. The Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health’s 5 Cs on Media Use offers guidance for educators to clarify motivations and establish effective guidelines when incorporating technology in the classroom. 

  • Child: Technology can help to accommodate more learning styles depending on the needs of the child. By providing assistive apps and tailored instruction, it can help children increase their academic skills and increase inclusion, particularly for students with dyslexia, ADHD, or visual impairments. 
  • Content: Technology used in the classroom needs to be designed positively, not include age-inappropriate content, or allow access to non-educational platforms such as gaming or social media sites. 
  • Calm: Technology cannot be the main tool utilized to help calm children. Other coping strategies can be taught through social-emotional learning approaches.
  • Crowding Out: Ensure that tech use in the classroom is not displacing other opportunities for children to learn skills that can only be taught by doing hands-on activities or having social interactions. 
  • Communication: Teachers can communicate with parents about motivations behind using technology and how it can positively impact their children's learning development. By setting guidelines for how and when school-issued devices should be used, teachers can collaborate with parents and students to ensure that devices are used appropriately at home for schoolwork vs. for gaming, entertainment, movie watching, etc.

References

 

 

 

 

Age: 5-11

Topics: touchscreen devices, Chromebook, iPad, school-issued devices, educational technology

Role: Parent
 

Last Updated

03/24/2025

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics