ChatGPT is Not Outlawed (Yet), but Cell Phones Are?
It was a weird conversation with our son. He asked about ChatGPT. The question wasn’t that shocking. Our answer was pretty bland. But my wife, being smarter, asked the more important 2nd level question… ”why do you ask?” And the answer staggered us. “Because kids are using it during school to answer questions… and I don’t like it.”
That led to the discussion during our child’s parent/teacher conference. And we find out that as far as the teacher knows, there has been no discussion of the subject in the district or within the elementary school. This is a district that blocks almost everything via the internet, particularly for its elementary schools.
At the same time, in a grander view, the debate over technology in education is heating up, with states like Nebraska pushing to ban cell phones in schools. Lawmakers and educators argue that phones are a major distraction, negatively impacting focus, classroom engagement, and even mental health. While restricting phone use makes sense in many ways, what’s surprising is that artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT haven’t faced nearly the same level of scrutiny—at least not yet.
For years, educators have worried that smartphones keep kids from learning. Whether it’s texting, social media, or games, the concern is that phones disrupt the ability to think critically, engage in discussions, and retain knowledge. But if we’re truly worried about students using technology to “not learn,” shouldn’t we be having the same conversation about AI?
Tools like ChatGPT allow students to generate essays, solve math problems, and even summarize entire books in seconds. It’s not a leap to say that AI has the potential to make cheating or intellectual shortcuts easier than ever. And yet, while Nebraska debates banning cell phones outright, AI remains widely accessible in schools.
This isn’t to say that banning AI is the right answer—far from it. Used properly, AI can be a powerful educational tool. But the inconsistency is hard to ignore: phones, which do have educational uses, are seen as universally bad, while AI, which can easily be misused to avoid learning, remains largely unregulated in classrooms.
Perhaps the difference is perception. Phones have long been viewed as distractions, while AI is still relatively new and not yet fully understood by policymakers. It’s also possible that banning phones is easier; they’re physical objects that can be confiscated, while AI is a software-based tool that students can access from home.
The bigger issue is that schools need clear policies on both. If the concern is keeping kids engaged in real learning, we should be looking at how all technology—phones, AI, and beyond—fits into that goal. Otherwise, we may find ourselves banning the wrong things while ignoring the real threats to education.
