Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
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Author, speaker, teacher, consultant, mother, rabble-rouser. for more: thescreentimeconsultant.com
Don’t miss this webinar— ADHD and kids and school computers and what parents can do!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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WEBINAR: "From Distraction to Action: How EdTech Harms Kids with ADHD and What Parents Can Do About It"
With Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, Andrew Liddell of EdTech Law Center, Michael McLeod of GrownNowADHD, and parent Meriwether Schas, facilitated by Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/webinar-from-distraction-to-action?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
about 7 hours ago
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First Fish member perks!https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/live-office-hours-thursday-dec-18?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
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Live Office Hours Thursday, Dec. 18 at 9 AM pst/12 PM est with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, special guest!
One of the perks of being a First Fish Chronicles paid subscriber? Direct access to Emily and some amazing guests via LIVE Office Hours!
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/live-office-hours-thursday-dec-18?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
2 days ago
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Please share with school leaders we need their help
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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The Hard Truth About EdTech: What Administrators, Superintendents, and Principals Need to Know
A Call to Action to the Leaders: We Need Your Help.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/the-hard-truth-about-edtech-what?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
2 days ago
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FOLLOW THE MONEY
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Follow the Funding: EdTech is Bad Enough. But EdTech's "advisory" groups are funded by Big Tech too.
Guest essay by Denise Champney, Speech Language Pathologist, and her testimony to the NTIA Listening Session on December 10, 2025
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/follow-the-funding-edtech-is-bad?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
7 days ago
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A beautiful guest essay today.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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If Democracy Dies in Darkness, Where Will We Find the Light?
A Guest Letter on Third Places, Democracy, and Art
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/if-democracy-dies-in-darkness-where?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
8 days ago
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My Testimony to the NTIA
My warning to a federal agency about EdTech (video and text)
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-to-the-ntia?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
9 days ago
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My testimony to the NTIA about EdTech harms.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Testimony to the NTIA
My warning to a federal agency about EdTech (video and text)
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-to-the-ntia?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
9 days ago
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Free webinar next week! Please join us!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Free Webinar: "The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning-- and How to Help Them Thrive Again" with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
Join Emily and Jared on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 6 PM PST/9 PM EST!
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/free-webinar-the-digital-delusion?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
15 days ago
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A must-read essay by Julie Liddell of the EdTech Law Center about the harms caused to children on school-issued tech. If you are at all concerned about social media harms, you should be equally concerned about EdTech.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Neither Essential nor Safe: Predators and Porn on School-Issued Laptops.
Real-world harms caused by giving children internet-connected devices "for education."
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/neither-essential-nor-safe-predators?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
16 days ago
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@andyliddell.bsky.social
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EdTech Companies are Surveillance Companies.
How persuasively designed tech entered the classroom and why it matters.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/edtech-companies-are-surveillance?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
18 days ago
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My testimony to UK Parliament.
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Testimony to UK Parliament
Here is my full statement with citations and a video of my speech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/testimony-to-uk-parliament?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
25 days ago
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5 Things I Learned from 5 Days in a 5th Grade Group Chat
And why I remain convinced that 11-year-olds* should not have smartphones.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/5-things-i-learned-from-5-days-in?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
25 days ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Bulletin
27 days ago
Should Seattle Public Schools allow students to use GenAI? Or adopt an “away for the day” cellphone policy? SPS parent
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
takes a look and asks the key questions district leaders must answer about technology in the classroom:
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Issue 4 -- It's Time for SPS To Lead on Limiting Screens in the Classroom
In this issue: Emily Cherkin takes a look at SPS policies about technology use in schools, and raises key questions that SPS leaders must answer. by Emily Cherkin On November 19, 2025, staff members...
https://thebulletinsea.org/its-time-for-sps-to-lead-on-limiting-screens-in-the-classroom/
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Bulletin
28 days ago
NEW:
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
lays out the key questions families should insist Seattle Public Schools answer about AI in the classroom, cell phones, and technology more broadly.
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Issue 4 -- It's Time for SPS To Lead on Limiting Screens in the Classroom
In this issue: Emily Cherkin takes a look at SPS policies about technology use in schools, and raises key questions that SPS leaders must answer. by Emily Cherkin On November 19, 2025, staff members...
https://thebulletinsea.org/its-time-for-sps-to-lead-on-limiting-screens-in-the-classroom/
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We are going to have to ask some tough questions. Here’s a list to get you started.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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What I Asked My School District About EdTech, AI, and Data Privacy in Public Testimony
I only had two minutes, but I went hard.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/what-i-asked-my-school-district-about?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
28 days ago
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16+ Ways EdTech Harms Children
If EdTech doesn't educate, what does it do?
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/16-ways-edtech-harms-children?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
about 1 month ago
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A common misconception— EdTech is NOT Tech Ed.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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"EdTech" is *Not* "Tech Ed"
What So Many Get So Wrong About Technology in School and the 3 Questions We Should Be Asking
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/edtech-is-not-tech-ed?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
about 1 month ago
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iPads Do Not Belong in School
6 Fallacies About EdTech and 6 Ideas for a Tech-Intentional™ School.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/ipads-do-not-belong-in-school?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
about 2 months ago
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Big Tobacco Makes State University Its Vaping Training Ground [SATIRE]
When we replace "GenAI" with "vaping" the absurdity of GenAI (as it is currently used) in education becomes clear and extremely uncomfortable.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/big-tobacco-makes-state-university?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
about 2 months ago
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Resisting GenAI in Education.
It's time for mass refusal, folks.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/resisting-genai-in-education?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
about 2 months ago
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5 Organizations Who Take $$$ From Tech That You Should Know About
And why this makes it really hard to trust their advice, unfortunately.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/5-organizations-who-take-from-tech?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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I’m writing at First Fish Chronicles on Substack now. Swim on over! Here’s a top 5 favorite resources post to start things off:
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Top 5 Favorite Resources re: EdTech
These are the ones I print off and carry with me-- they're that good.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-top-5-favorite-resources-re-edtech?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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Why saying no to AI in schools means saying no to EdTech. My hot take. Please share if you feel inclined.
thescreentimeconsultant.com/resources/bl...
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I Am Disinclined to Acquiesce to Your Request (Means “No.”) - The Screentime Consultant
This essay argues parents should refuse EdTech, 1:1 devices, and AI tools in schools. Resignation is not progress; parents have the power to say 'no'.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/resources/blog/i-am-disinclined-to-acquiese-to-your-request-(means-no-)
3 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Guardian
4 months ago
I’ve seen how big tech has transformed the classroom – and parents are right to be worried | Velislava Hillman
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I’ve seen how big tech has transformed the classroom – and parents are right to be worried | Velislava Hillman
I’ve examined how commercial technologies reshape education – often in ways parents instinctively resist, but are told to ignore, says academic Velislava Hillman
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/01/big-tech-classroom-parents-education?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1756718305
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
4 months ago
"We need stop pretending that generative AI tools are doing anything other than acting as a substitute for the effortful thinking that we want students to be undertaking so as to build their own knowledge, in their own heads, in their own minds."
open.substack.com/pub/buildcog...
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Something wicked this way comes
Big Tech CEOs, education policymakers, and universities continue to push AI upon students
https://open.substack.com/pub/buildcognitiveresonance/p/something-wicked-this-way-comes?r=d8xtt&utm_medium=ios
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Hey NYC area folks-come to this!
thescreentimeconsultant.com/events/lets-...
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Event | Let's Talk EdTech: In Conversation and Connection with Emily Cherkin, and Colin Samuel
Join Emily Cherkin M.Ed., and Colin Anton Samuel, CTO at the Brearley School as we discuss what Educaction Technology can and should look like in schools.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/events/lets-talk-edtech
5 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
6 months ago
There are some really weird things going on in this NYT story that is purportedly about using "AI" for child therapy. Would you care to join me for a short thread exploring just a few of them?
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/m...
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Kids Are in Crisis. Could Chatbot Therapy Help?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/magazine/ai-chatbot-therapy.html
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Law Commentary
about 1 year ago
Teacher vs. Tech Giant Former teacher Emily Cherkin is suing PowerSchool, claiming the ed-tech giant sells students data without consent. With data from 440+ school districts, the lawsuit alleges PowerSchool profits from sharing sensitive info like grades and health records.
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EdTech Company PowerSchool Target of Lawsuit Over Claims They Illegally Sell Student Data | Law Commentary
Former School teacher, Emily Cherkin, has filed a lawsuit against leading educational technology giant, PowerSchool. She filed her class action lawsuit in San Francisco this past spring and claims tha...
https://www.lawcommentary.com/articles/edtech-company-powerschool-target-of-lawsuit-over-claims-they-illegally-sell-student-data
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Emily M. Bender
6 months ago
As I've been saying over and over on our book tour for The AI Con, the inevitability argument (including in the form of "AI is here to stay") is an attempt to steal our agency. We don't have to accept that and I encourage everyone to refuse it.
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The continued refrain of "kids need to have access to technology now so they can be successful in the future" just simply doesn't make sense when you look at the childhoods of some of the wealthiest, most powerful, most successful titans of the tech industry.
7 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Gwen Snyder is uncivil
7 months ago
Someone else said something very similar to this the other day, but. It really burns me that our (millennials') generation was legally terrorized for like, downloading Radiohead discographies But we're supposed to be ok with billionaires stealing human intellectual output in its entirety bc AI
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New essay. Not all change is progress.
thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/childre...
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Not all change is progress: Children and democracy have long needed the same things to flourish - The Screentime Consultant
Emily Cherkin M.Ed. on why resisting EdTech in schools protects both childhood and democracy. Not all change is progress. Screen time isn't the answer.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/children-democracy-needs-flourish
7 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
7 months ago
Here is a teacher, presumably of third or fourth grade, excited to use AI to grade the work of their students, planning not to tell them, asking for advice on how to navigate around any ethical concerns raised by the school principal. This isn't where we are headed, it's where we are right now.
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“This year, your child’s teacher might give incorrect information anywhere from 5-50% of the time.” What parent would want their child in a class like that??
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7 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
7 months ago
Welcome to BlueSky, Emily! Earlier this week we had a fun (if sobering) conversation about AI in education. You can watch the webinar here:
thescreentimeconsultant.com/video-librar...
add a skeleton here at some point
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Kicking off my Blue Sky experience with this essay I wrote, inspired by a webinar I did with
@benjaminjriley.bsky.social
:
thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/resisti...
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Resisting AI in Schools: It’s Time for Mass Refusal - The Screentime Consultant
Emily Cherkin M.Ed. shares urgent concerns about Generative AI in schools and how screen time harms learning, privacy, and critical thinking.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/resisting-ai-in-schools
7 months ago
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