School policies surrounding phone use are changing, and soon. In Ontario, Canadian students have been asked to leave their cell phones out of sight during class. Several European countries have taken a step in this direction and are now being discussed in the United States. Members are applying similar restrictions, with two senators coming up with a bill that will provide a nationwide telephone ban. The debate is not black and white, but the goal is clear: reduce distraction, improve students’ attention and reduce their impact on students’ mental health. Many teachers have long said that smartphones will attract attention from learning. almost Half of educators The report says that student engagement has declined since 2019 and schools are undertaking more and more things to do something. For many regions, something starts with locking your phone.
But banning your phone does not mean deleting the screen. Today, classrooms use laptops and pens instead of laptops. This is how students conduct research, hand in assignments and conduct research with the course.
These tools are helpful, but they are another kind of distraction. Opening tabs and easy access to the internet still keeps students on track. The potential of teachers to derail throughout the course makes the benefit of juggling techniques the benefit of juggling.
For many educators, especially newer educators, the problem is not just student use, it has to do with confidence. More than half Among first-year teachers, they are not properly trained to manage or integrate classroom technology in a truly effective way.
Enter the next generation tool
Now, with the rise of AI, more and more teachers are turning to the technology, from organizing courses to providing feedback. Up to 62% of U.S. teachers and 60% of UK teachers confirmed in 2025 Poll They are integrating AI into their workflow. Not only are the most well-known tools like Chatgpt to create answers for tests, but also AI tools that can control educators in schools in different ways.
The most promising AI tools are tools built with educators, not just tools handed over to them.
David Waugh of ManagedMethods told Unite.ai that the features they recently integrated in the Class Manager tool were designed based on the opinions they received from educational leaders. The result is a real-time tool that allows students to use how they use them during school hours, allowing them to monitor activities when needed, sign unsafe behavior, and even pause digital access when needed. Think of it as parents’ control, but built for teachers and scaled for classrooms.
However, using AI and machine learning cannot be controlled by teachers in the classroom. “We strongly believe that we want to automate certain things to make them more efficient and streamlined for school districts and users and productivity,” Wo said. “We emphasize The key is not to replace educators, but to support them.
Instead, through cloud monitoring, AI is leveraged to support network security and security, providing an additional layer of protection.
Other platforms such as Magicschool will take a step further by positioning AI as a useful classroom assistant and acting as a bridge to something bigger. The company notes that burnout is rising across the industry, with educators working longer, accompanied by administrative work, lesson plans and student support.
“We are here to help reduce the load so teachers can save their energy in the classroom, in front of students, in the classroom,” the company website reads. Like Chatgpt, Magicschool can help educators build quizzes and lesson plans. But what it began to stand out is that it supports personalized education, helps teachers tailor content to students with special needs, and even provides guidance on managing behavioral challenges.
And now, the company expands its reach by providing students with AI literacy directly.
The point is to teach children how to use this technology thoughtfully and safely as it becomes a staple in classrooms and is inevitable in their careers. In some way, providing a theme tailored to individual students, “Without the generated AI, students can’t unlock learning opportunities for students’ Magicschool – think about escape rooms, virtual field trips and choosing the adventure stories you have.”
Similar to the debate about phone use in the classroom, not everyone is on the same page about AI in the hands of students.
If AI is the future, are we preparing kids to use it wisely?
Last month, President Donald Trump called on AI education to become a national priority and signed an executive order through public-private partnerships with industry leaders and academic institutions to promote education and integration of artificial intelligence in schools. This responds to what many educators and parents have begun to ask-If this is the future, are we preparing kids to use it wisely?
There is already a Canada Major steps have been taken To incorporate AI learning into the classroom, many educators see it as a practical way to prepare for the next generation of AI-driven workforce. However, Canadian Teachers Federation When there are no clear regulations to protect students from data breaches and ethical issues, including mental health, it is increasingly used in education.
This is Common sense media Publish research and recommendations Conclusions are that designs that AI applications are explicitly designed to be companionship should not be used by children and teenagers under the age of 18. Not a school tool, but an AI app designed to chat, listen and imitate friendships.
Although not technically new, these tools are rapidly evolving, with parents struggling to keep up and ultimately drawing attention to the impact of AI on student well-being. Just as schools have begun to restrict mobile phones to help protect mental health, a fresh AI-powered wave of “peers” is landing in the App Store, unfiltered and often unregulated.
Then what will happen next?
Deleting a phone from class can solve part of the puzzle. But bringing devices like laptops, applications, and unmonitored AI platforms brings another complexity.
Technology won’t go anywhere. The bigger question now is: How do we use it better?
Educators, parents and policy makers all play a role in shaping the answer to look like. It won’t come from banning devices or downloading the next big tool. It will come from learning how to achieve balance, and technical support, not overwhelming.
Students need not only learn from Technology and how to get along with it.
