(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – This photo shows the Facebook’s Messenger Kids application on an iPhone in New York, Feb. 16, 2018. U.S. regulators say Facebook misled parents and failed to protect the privacy of children using its Messenger Kids app. The Federal Trade Commission says Facebook misrepresented the access it provided to app developers to private user data. As a result, the FTC on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 proposed sweeping changes to a 2020 privacy order with Facebook — now called Meta — that would prohibit it from profiting from data it collects on users under 18. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file)

(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) As many Pennsylvania parents worry that artificial intelligence and cell phone overuse are getting in the way of their child’s education, public school advocates are proposing new limitations. According to the Pew Research Center, four in 10 teens say they’re online almost constantly. Speaking at the National Press Club this week, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten unveiled a national proposal that suggests a series of screen bans and AI restrictions. It supports active hands-on learning in schools while curbing technology in classrooms. While the Pennsylvania Department of Education has outlined A-I considerations for school districts, it hasn’t issued formal guidance. Meanwhile, a proposed “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy for students is still making its way through the Pennsylvania Legislature. Senate Bill 1014 passed the Senate in February and now sits in the Education Committee.