Families support teacher-directed AI and clear protections, while favoring limits on early-grade screens and restrictions on student chatbot use.
Parents’ views on classroom technology are more nuanced than a simple choice between unrestricted use and outright bans. Learning Heroes’ Parents 2026, a survey of nearly 2,000 parents, including an oversampling of Black and Hispanic parents, conducted with Edge Research and published in September 2026, as well as the National Parents Union (NPU) surveys carried out by Echelon Insights in May and September 2026 show support for teacher-directed AI, stronger privacy protections, and for greater accountability. Parents also are in favor of placing limits over an outright ban on the use of screens in the early grades and on the use of student chatbots.
What parents told researchers
For screens with K–2 learners, parents favor limits over an outright ban. In NPU’s September survey, 78% of parents preferred limiting screen time for learning in grades K–2, while11% favored a ban.
Most parents say that they are at ease with the use of AI in the classroom when it is directed by teachers. According to Parents 2026, 62% of parents stated that they were comfortable with teacher-directed AI in the classroom, with 26% being very comfortable. NPU's September survey reached a similar conclusion, showing 77% support for teaching students to use AI effectively and 85% support for instruction on AI safety. The survey also revealed 71% support for banning the use of chatbots by students during the school day. These responses indicate that parents consider the various uses of AI to be different.
Parents want evidence and accountability. In NPU’s September survey, 81% of parents backed restrictions on the purchase of unproven technology and 79% supported mandatory teacher training.
Parents would like to see their children's data kept safe and be informed. In NPU's May survey, 88 percent of parents said that they prefer to be informed when their child uses AI, and 87 percent wanted to be informed when their child's data or work is shared.
Parents would like to be kept informed. According to a survey in Parents 2026, 56 per cent of parents stated that they want to be notified about the new curriculum.
What should policymakers take away?
The results do not justify unrestricted use of technology in the classroom. It is also wrong to interpret support for restricting certain uses as equivalent to supporting the elimination of instructional technology entirely. On the contrary, the surveys suggest a more targeted strategy: differentiate between teacher-led instruction and students' independent use of chatbots, and assess the tools according to their purpose, the evidence available and the safeguards in place.
Schools should choose tools that meet parents' requests: a clear teaching purpose, teacher control, and protection of student data. The U.S. Department of Education's August 2026 guidance on education technology and screen time asks for the same things. It tells states and districts to treat recreational and instructional technology differently and to judge tools by "demonstrated learning outcomes and instructional value rather than screen time alone." It also says education technology should be educator-led, ethical, accessible, transparent, and protective of student data.
Schools and technology providers should be able to answer four questions, drawn from the guidance and the parent surveys:
- What is the tool meant to teach, and what evidence shows it improves student outcomes?
- How will teachers direct its use, and what training will they get?
- What student information does it collect, and how is that information protected?
- How will families find out which tools are used and why, and how can they give feedback?
Parents are requesting evidence, safeguards, and accountability. Policymakers ought to take those expectations as the standard when making decisions about classroom technology.