Educators Expect More AI — But Worry About Screen Time

Educators appear to be holding two ideas at once: artificial intelligence is likely to become a bigger part of education, while more screen time is not necessarily better for students.

McGraw Hill’s 2026 Global Education Insights Report surveyed more than 1,300 K–12 and higher-education educators across 19 countries. Excessive screen time emerged as the leading obstacle to student success, while 42% of respondents said students’ ability to focus had declined compared with five years ago.

At the same time, nearly nine in 10 educators expect AI use in education to increase. Almost three-quarters said social-emotional support and teacher–student relationships cannot be replaced by AI, and 72% do not expect in-person instructional time to decline over the next decade.

The issue is not simply more or less technology

For schools, the findings point towards a more useful technology conversation than “digital versus traditional”. The question is whether a tool improves the learning activity enough to justify the additional screen time and attention it requires.

That matters as schools adopt more AI-enabled platforms. A useful implementation measure may not be how widely a tool is used, but whether it saves teachers time, improves learning and leaves room for discussion, collaboration, handwriting, practical work and other forms of learning that do not need a device.

Read the 2026 McGraw Hill Global Education Insights findings

Featured image: Fajar Herlambang STUDIO / Unsplash.