Do parents want AI and technology banned in schools?

No. The share of parents who want technology taken away from kids is small in every measure the National Parents Union has tested. In September 2026 (N=1,528), 11% wanted screen time in kindergarten through second grade banned, while 78% wanted it limited but not banned. In May 2026 (N=1,527), 1% wanted zero screen time for learning and about 1 in 8 said schools should stay away from AI altogether. The opposite extreme is just as small: 7% wanted K-2 screen time unlimited, 9% said federal AI rules go too far, and 10% opposed banning tech companies from harvesting children's data. The large majority wants children protected and prepared: 86% support banning tech companies from harvesting children's data, 85% want AI safety taught in school, and 79% want every teacher trained in AI literacy.

Do parents want children protected from AI or prepared for AI?

Both, and mostly the same parents. In the National Parents Union September 2026 poll, 86% support banning tech companies from harvesting children's data and 85% support teaching AI safety in school. Because both figures come from the same survey of 1,528 parents, at least 71% of parents must support both. Likewise at least 60% support both barring schools from buying unproven technology (81%) and requiring teacher training in AI literacy (79%). Parents reject the choice between protecting kids and preparing them.

Do parents think AI is as harmful to kids as social media?

No. In May 2026, parents rated the net effect of social media on their child at minus 24 (percent mostly positive minus percent mostly negative). Artificial intelligence came in at plus 4, close to texting with other kids (plus 6) and the internet in general (plus 10). Parents draw a clear line between social media and AI.

Do parents support or oppose AI in schools?

Parents are split. In September 2026, 21% said the benefits of AI in K-12 education outweigh the downsides, 23% said the downsides outweigh the benefits, and 47% said they are about equal. When the undecided were pushed to lean one way, the combined result was 46% benefits, 41% downsides, and 13% could not say. That is a close split with no majority either way, not a demand to remove AI from schools.

Do parents want AI chatbots banned in schools?

71% of parents support banning students from using AI chatbots during the school day, and 21% oppose it (NPU September 2026). At the same time, 77% support schools teaching students to use AI tools effectively and 85% support schools teaching AI safety. Parents want limits on unsupervised use and instruction on responsible use at the same time.

Do parents want teachers trained in AI?

79% of parents support requiring all public school teachers to be trained in digital and AI literacy and responsible technology use, with 14% opposed (NPU September 2026). Support is 83% among Republicans and 80% among Democrats.

What do parents want done about children's data and tech companies?

86% of parents support banning tech companies from using or harvesting children's online data, with 10% opposed (NPU September 2026). It draws 84% support among Republicans and 88% among Democrats.

How important do parents think AI skills are for their children's future?

In September 2026, 47% of parents called strong AI skills absolutely essential or very important for future careers, the lowest of eight skills tested. Reading scored 93%, critical thinking 90%, computer technology 83%. Views vary by education and income: 70% of parents with a graduate degree call AI skills essential or very important, compared with 37% of parents with a high school education or less.

Is there a partisan divide among parents on AI in schools?

Very little. On every technology policy tested in September 2026, Republican and Democratic parents were within four points of each other. For example, 84% of Republicans and 88% of Democrats support banning tech companies from harvesting children's data, and 88% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats support teaching AI safety in school. The larger gaps are by income and education, not party.

Live tracker / updated Sept 28, 2026 National Parents Union / Echelon Insights

Where parentsactually standon AI.

Protect them. Prepare them. Don't ban it and walk away.

1%

of parents want zero screen time for learning

78%

want K-2 screens limited, not banned

85%

want AI safety taught in school

86%

want tech companies banned from harvesting kids' data

Two national polls. 3,055 parents. One page that grows every time we go back into the field. Whoever tells you parents want AI and technology pulled out of their kids' lives is not reading the data. See for yourself.

The quick take

Six things to know.

NO

Parents don't want bans.

1% want zero screen time. 11% want K-2 screens banned. 78% want them limited instead. The ban camp is a rounding error.

The proof

85

Protect and prepare. Both.

86% want kids' data protected from tech companies. 85% want AI safety taught. So at least 71% want both, by simple arithmetic.

The math

86

Hands off kids' data.

86% want tech companies banned from harvesting children's data. Highest-scoring policy we've tested.

The numbers

46/41

Cautious, not afraid.

A close 46 to 41 split on whether AI helps or hurts. Social media rates −24 with parents. AI rates +4.

The gauge

79

Train every teacher.

79% want it required. Right now 60% of teachers use AI and 18% were trained.

The gap

≤4

Not a red-blue fight.

Republican and Democratic parents land within 4 points of each other on every tech policy tested.

The slider

1 / Bans versus limits

Two dead ends. One road.

Ban it and kids are left to figure it out alone. Leave it alone and kids are left to the companies. Every time we've given parents the choice, neither dead end has drawn more than one parent in eight. The road they pick is protect and prepare.

Dead end 1

Ban it

Take the technology away and hope kids never meet it.

1%want zero screen time for learningMay 2026

11%want K-2 screen time bannedSept 2026

1 in 8say schools should stay away from AI altogetherMay 2026

The road parents chose

Protect and prepare

Guardrails on the companies. Limits on screens. Real instruction for kids and teachers.

86%ban tech companies from harvesting kids' dataSept 2026

85%teach AI safety in schoolSept 2026

79%train every teacher in AI literacySept 2026

78%limit K-2 screen time instead of banning itSept 2026

Dead end 2

Leave it alone

No limits, no rules. Let the tech companies raise them.

7%want K-2 screen time unlimitedSept 2026

9%say federal AI rules go too farMay 2026

10%oppose banning tech companies from harvesting kids' dataSept 2026

Ban it and you abandon them. Ignore it and you abandon them. Parents chose the only road that doesn't.

The receipts: every ban-versus-limit question we've asked

Ban itLimit itLeave it alone

Chart data: bans versus limits. Percent of parents choosing each option.
Question (wave)	Ban	Limit	Leave alone	Other
Screen time for learning in kindergarten through 2nd grade (Sept 2026)	11% ban	78% limit but not ban	7% allow unlimited	4% unsure
Daily screen time for learning at school (May 2026)	1% want zero screen time	75% want a daily limit	n/a	24% no set limit or unsure
Federal rules protecting kids from AI (May 2026)	n/a	38% say rules do not do enough	9% say rules go too far	53% about right or unsure
School laptops in grades where they are allowed (Sept 2026)	n/a	58% keep on a cart, use at set times	38% keep at desks all day	4% unsure

Four questions, two waves, two different ways of asking. The ban side never cracks one in eight. Even on something as ordinary as where laptops live during the day, most parents pick set times over all day.

2 / AI in the classroom

Teach it and limit it. Both.

Yes, 71% of parents back a ban on students using AI chatbots during the school day. Read the rest of the survey before you call that a ban on AI. 77% want schools teaching kids to use AI well, and 85% want AI safety taught. Supervised yes. Unsupervised no. That is a lesson plan, not a lockout.

An unprepared kid is an unprotected one.

Sept 2026, N=1,528. May 2026: 63% called teaching AI effectively a priority for their school.

71%no chatbots during the school day

77%teach kids to use AI effectively

At least 48% back both. Same survey.

Chart data: AI in the classroom, NPU September 2026, N=1,528.
Policy	Support
Ban student use of AI chatbots during the school day	71%
Schools teach students to use AI tools effectively	77%
Schools teach students about AI safety	85%

The math on "both"

Protect and prepare. Not either one.

When 86% of parents back one policy and 85% back another in the same survey, the two groups can't avoid each other. At least 71% of parents must back both. That's arithmetic, not spin. Here's the floor for three pairings.

86%Protect: ban tech companies from harvesting kids' data85%Prepare: teach AI safety in school

back both

71%at minimum
back both

81%Protect: bar schools from buying unproven tech79%Prepare: train every teacher in AI literacy

back both

60%at minimum
back both

71%Protect: no chatbots during the school day77%Prepare: teach kids to use AI tools well

back both

48%at minimum
back both

Support the protect policySupport the prepare policyGuaranteed overlap

NPU / Echelon Insights, Sept 7 to 11, 2026, N=1,528. Minimum overlap equals the two support shares added together, minus 100. The real overlap can only be higher.

3 / Kids' data and guardrails

Guardrails for kids. Bans for companies.

If AI touches my kid, tell me. That was May. September added teeth: the most popular policy we've ever tested is a ban on tech companies harvesting children's data. Republicans 84%, Democrats 88%.

May 2026: percent saying schools should do each, or chatbots should be legally required to. Sept 2026: percent support.

Chart data: kids' data and guardrails.
Finding	Percent	Wave
AI chatbots should be legally required to alert parents if a child asks about harmful behavior	90%	May 2026
Schools should tell parents if their child will use or interact with AI	88%	May 2026
Schools should tell parents if their child's information or work is shared with AI	87%	May 2026
Support banning tech companies from harvesting children's data	86%	Sept 2026
Support barring schools from buying technology not proven safe and effective	81%	Sept 2026
Support a federal agency evaluating ed-tech safety and effectiveness	79%	Sept 2026

4 / Does AI help or hurt?

Cautious. Not afraid.

47% of parents call it a wash. Pushed to pick a side, they land at 46 to 41 for the optimists: a close split, with no majority either way. That is not a country demanding AI be pulled out of schools. It is a country that wants to see it done right. Optimism runs by income: 55% among parents earning $125,000 or more, 33% under $30,000. Party barely moves it.

Sept 2026. QAIFeeling, combined with the follow-up for undecided parents.

Chart data: do the benefits of AI in K-12 education outweigh the downsides? NPU September 2026, combined with leaners.
Response	Percent
Benefits outweigh downsides	46%
Downsides outweigh benefits	41%
Cannot say	13%

AI is not social media

Don't copy and paste the social media playbook.

Asked about the net effect on their own child, parents rate social media at −24. AI comes in at +4, next to texting and the internet. Parents draw a hard line between the two.

And when they do want Washington to act, it's for more protection, not a ban: 38% say federal policy does not do enough to protect kids from AI. 9% say it goes too far.

NPU May 2026, N=1,527. Net impact: percent mostly positive minus percent mostly negative.

The internet in general

+10

Texting with other kids

+6

Artificial intelligence

+4

Cell phones in general

−3

Social media

−24

5 / Readiness

Parents are ready. The system isn't.

79% of parents want every teacher trained in digital and AI literacy. Walton Family Foundation and Gallup found 60% of teachers already use AI for work and 18% have been formally trained. Only 32% of parents give their school an A for clear tech and AI policy, the lowest grade of anything we tested. Peer countries have had national K-12 technology plans since 2014. The United States has none.

Walton/Gallup, "Teaching for Tomorrow," June 2025, N=2,232 teachers. NPU May 2026 report-card battery. Each figure below is one teacher in a hundred.

Chart data: teacher readiness. Walton Family Foundation and Gallup, June 2025, N=2,232 teachers.
Measure	Teachers out of 100
Use AI for work	60
Have received formal AI training	18

60use AI for work18got formal training

6 / Common ground

Drag the slider. Watch the bars not move.

Showing responses from

RepublicanIndependentDemocrat

Republican
parents

Chart data: percent support by party, NPU September 2026.
Policy	Republican	Independent	Democrat
Ban tech companies from harvesting children's data	84%	85%	88%
Schools teach AI safety	88%	83%	85%
Home internet for families who cannot afford it	84%	83%	87%
Bar schools from buying unproven tech	81%	80%	83%
Federal agency evaluates ed-tech safety	82%	74%	79%
Train every teacher in digital and AI literacy	83%	73%	80%
"School mode" built into smartphones	79%	74%	82%
Schools teach students to use AI effectively	80%	72%	79%
Ban student chatbot use during the school day	70%	72%	72%
AI Education Trust Fund, 3% tax on large AI companies	67%	60%	69%
AI's benefits outweigh the downsides (combined)	52%	36%	48%

Sept 2026. Tick marks show all three parties on every bar. Republican and Democratic parents are within 4 points of each other on every item.

7 / The ask

Policy that works for kids.

Six demands, each with the number behind it.

What a ban really does

Ban and abandon

A ban tells kids they're on their own. They still meet AI, at home, on their phones and at their first job, without one lesson in how to use it or how to stay safe. And it lets the companies off the hook.

What parents asked for

Protect and prepare

Guardrails on the companies. Limits on screens. Honesty with families. Training for teachers. Real instruction for every kid. Backed by 77% to 90% of parents, Republican and Democrat alike.

1

Legal guardrails on chatbots for minors

81% to 90%, May 2026

2

Tell families when AI touches their kid

84% to 88%, May 2026

3

Train every teacher

79%, Sept 2026

4

Teach AI safety and AI skills, on purpose

85% and 77%, Sept 2026

5

Ban companies from harvesting kids' data

86%, Sept 2026

6

A national plan, not a ban

79% back a federal ed-tech evaluator, Sept 2026

What's new / September 28, 2026

Added this wave.

New

Protect and prepare. New analysis across both waves: neither the ban camp nor the anything-goes camp has drawn more than one parent in eight, and at least 71% of parents back both a protect policy and a prepare policy.

New

Helps or hurts. First time we asked whether AI's benefits outweigh its downsides. 46 to 41.

New

Data ban. 86% want tech companies banned from harvesting kids' data. May asked about disclosure (87%), not a ban.

New

School-day chatbot ban, teacher training, school mode, AI trust fund. 71%, 79%, 78%, 66%.

Updated

AI skills. 47% call them essential or very important, down from 53% in May on a differently worded question. Not a trend line.

Updated

Screens. 78% want K-2 screen time limited, not banned. May: 75% wanted a daily limit, 1% wanted zero.

Rebuilt

Site rebuilt from a 20-slide deck into this tracker so new waves stack instead of replacing. June 2026: launched with the May wave, N=1,527.

For reporters, researchers and legislative staff

Open the Data Room +

Every AI and technology question, both waves, toplines, crosstabs and methodology.

Download the topline (PDF) Download the crosstabs (Excel)

N=1,528 parents of public school students in grades K-12. Fielded online September 7 to 11, 2026 by Echelon Insights. Margin of error plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Subgroup columns are percent strongly or somewhat support unless noted.

Technology policy battery. Would you support or oppose each of the following?
Policy	Support	Oppose	GOP	Ind	Dem	<$30K	$125K+
Banning tech companies from using or harvesting children's online data	86	10	84	85	88	82	91
Providing high-speed internet at home for public school students whose families could not otherwise afford it	85	10	84	83	87	85	85
K-12 public schools teaching students about AI safety	85	10	88	83	85	75	93
Prohibiting public schools from buying technology not proven safe and effective for learning	81	12	81	80	83	74	89
Requiring a federal agency to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of education technology	79	14	82	74	79	75	82
Requiring all public school teachers to be trained in digital and AI literacy and responsible technology use	79	14	83	73	80	69	91
Requiring all smartphones to include a built-in "school mode" that lets schools limit distractions	78	16	79	74	82	73	86
K-12 public schools teaching students ways to use AI tools effectively	77	17	80	72	79	65	87
Banning students from using AI chatbots during the school day	71	21	70	72	72	74	72
An AI Education Trust Fund paid for by a 3% tax on large AI companies, distributed by enrollment and need	66	20	67	60	69	54	75

Thinking about ways AI tools could be used in K-12 public education, do you think...
Response	All	GOP	Ind	Dem	HS or less	Grad degree	<$30K	$125K+
Benefits outweigh downsides (initial)	21	26	14	21	15	32	9	28
About equal (initial)	47	47	48	46	49	40	48	47
Downsides outweigh benefits (initial)	23	20	24	25	23	22	26	21
Unsure (initial)	9	6	14	7	13	5	17	4
Benefits outweigh downsides (combined with lean)	46	52	36	48	38	57	33	55
Downsides outweigh benefits (combined with lean)	41	37	44	41	43	35	46	37
Cannot say (combined)	13	11	20	11	19	8	22	9

Parents who answered "about equal" or "unsure" on the first question (n=858) were asked which way they lean. Combined figures fold those leaners into the totals.

How important is it for K-12 students to develop strong skills in each area? Percent absolutely essential or very important.
Skill	All	HS or less	Bachelor's	Grad degree	<$30K	$125K+	Men	Women
Reading	93
Critical thinking	90
Managing their budget or finances	89
Managing their emotions	88
Math	86
Interpersonal skills	86
Using computer technology	83	80	83	87	83	89	84	81
Using artificial intelligence (AI) tools	47	37	50	70	35	62	52	42

Would offering each of the following help students have a better chance of success after high school?
Offering	Help a lot	Help a lot or some
Dual-enrollment courses for college credit	62	92
Internship or apprenticeship opportunities	60	94
Guidance counselors in every middle and high school	60	93
Industry-recognized credentials through career and technical education	60	92
Digital literacy training on technology, the internet and AI	46	85

Screens and devices
Question and response	All	K-5 parents	6-8 parents	9-12 parents
K-2 screen time for learning: should limit but not ban	78	81	77	77
K-2 screen time for learning: should ban	11	9	12	12
K-2 screen time for learning: should allow unlimited	7	8	8	6
School laptops: keep on a cart, use at set times	58	62	58	55
School laptops: keep at desks all day	38	35	38	41

N=1,527 parents of public school students in grades K-12. Fielded online May 28 to June 1, 2026 by Echelon Insights. Margin of error plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. Topline and crosstab downloads for this wave are being added; the figures below are the published results.

Should generative AI chatbots be required by law to do each of the following? Percent should be required.
Requirement	All	GOP	Ind	Dem
Alert parents if their child asks about harmful or illegal behavior	90	90	87	92
Show pop-up warnings before sensitive content (self-harm, violence, abuse)	89	88	86	91
Let parents limit the topics a chatbot can discuss with their child	84	86	81	86
Let parents see the conversations their child has had	83	86	80	85
Require a parent's permission before a minor can use it	81	81	79	84

Should K-12 public schools do each of the following? Percent should.
Action	All
Tell parents if their child will use or interact with AI	88
Tell parents if their child's information or work is shared with AI	87
Disclose if and how staff use AI for lessons, grading or scheduling	84

How important is it that your child's school focuses on each of these next year? Percent important.
Focus	All
Supporting students' academic needs	95
Communicating with parents about their progress	95
Preparing students for future careers	93
Asking parents for input on policies and budgets	84
Teaching students to use AI effectively	63
Figuring out how to use AI to support learning	62

Importance of being skilled with AI tools to your child's future career
Measure	All
Essential or very important	53
At least somewhat important	85
Essential or very important, lowest income group	38
Essential or very important, highest income group	68
Essential or very important, lowest education group	44
Essential or very important, highest education group	62

Screen time and technology use
Measure	All
School's use of computers and tablets is about the right amount	74
School's use of computers and tablets is too much	17
Want their child to have zero screen time for learning	1
Want schools to set a daily screen-time limit	75
Want a daily limit, parents of K-5 students	81

Net impact on your child: percent mostly positive minus percent mostly negative
Technology	Net
The internet in general	+10
Texting with other kids	+6
Artificial intelligence	+4
Cell phones in general	−3
Social media	−24

Does federal policy do enough to protect kids under 18 from each? Percent saying not enough.
Issue	Not enough
Vaping	54
Guns	51
Social media	44
Artificial intelligence	38

9% of parents said federal rules on AI go too far. That figure never exceeded 14% in any party, race or income group.

School report card: percent giving their child's school an A
Measure	A grade
Communicating clear policies on technology and AI (lowest of nine measures)	32

September 2026 wave

Echelon Insights conducted this survey on behalf of the National Parents Union. It was fielded online from September 7 to 11, 2026 in English among 1,528 parents of public school students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade nationwide, using non-probability sampling.

The sample was drawn from the Cint/Lucid sample exchange with quota targets on gender, age, race/ethnicity and education for parents of public school students, derived from the National Center for Education Statistics tabulation of five-year American Community Survey data.

Data quality measures included duplicate prevention, attention-check questions, and removal of respondents who answered more than one-third of questions in less than one-third of the median response time.

The sample was weighted to population benchmarks for parents of public school students on gender, age, race/ethnicity, education and region, plus interactions of gender by education, gender by race, and race by education. It was also weighted on gender among self-identified registered voters using the Census Bureau's November 2024 Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement.

The margin of sampling error, calculated as for a random sample and adjusted for weighting, is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. This does not account for other potential sources of error in online non-probability surveys, such as non-coverage.

May 2026 wave

Fielded May 28 to June 1, 2026 by Echelon Insights among 1,527 parents of K-12 public school students, weighted to NCES and U.S. Census benchmarks. Margin of error plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

Sample composition, September 2026

Party identification: 35% Democrat, 35% Republican, 25% independent, 1% other party, 4% unsure. With leaners: 43% Democratic, 41% Republican, 17% independent. Ideology: 31% conservative, 39% moderate, 26% liberal. Region: 15% Northeast, 18% Midwest, 41% South, 26% West. Community: 34% city, 39% suburb, 8% small town, 18% rural. Race and ethnicity (recoded): 55% white, 23% Hispanic, 11% Black, 7% AAPI, 3% other or two or more races. Education: 33% high school or less, 17% some college, 13% associate degree, 22% bachelor's, 15% graduate degree. Household income: 20% under $30,000, 14% $30,000 to $49,999, 20% $50,000 to $74,999, 13% $75,000 to $99,999, 13% $100,000 to $124,999, 19% $125,000 or more.

How to cite

National Parents Union / Echelon Insights, National Survey of Parents of K-12 Public School Students, September 7 to 11, 2026, N=1,528. Available at parentsonai.org.

Questions about the data

Contact the National Parents Union at nationalparentsunion.org.

Where American parents stand on AI and technology in schools: every finding

Plain-language summary of two national surveys of parents of K-12 public school students conducted by Echelon Insights for the National Parents Union in 2026: September 7 to 11 (N=1,528, margin of error plus or minus 2.6 points) and May 28 to June 1 (N=1,527, plus or minus 2.7 points). Combined sample: 3,055 parents. Last updated September 28, 2026.

Bottom line

Parents do not want technology or AI banned for kids, and they do not want it left unregulated. They want children protected and prepared. Support for these policies is bipartisan, with Republican and Democratic parents within four points of each other on every technology policy tested.

Protect and prepare, not ban and abandon

The ban side is small on every measure: 1% want zero screen time for learning (May 2026), 11% want K-2 screen time banned (September 2026), and about 1 in 8 say schools should stay away from AI altogether (May 2026).
The leave-it-alone side is just as small: 7% want K-2 screen time unlimited (September 2026), 9% say federal AI rules go too far (May 2026), and 10% oppose banning tech companies from harvesting children's data (September 2026).
Because the September figures come from one survey of 1,528 parents, overlaps can be calculated as a floor. 86% support banning tech companies from harvesting kids' data and 85% support teaching AI safety, so at least 71% support both. 81% support barring schools from buying unproven technology and 79% support teacher AI-literacy training, so at least 60% support both. 71% support banning student chatbot use during the school day and 77% support teaching students to use AI tools, so at least 48% support both.
Parents separate AI from social media: net impact on their own child is minus 24 for social media and plus 4 for AI (May 2026).

Bans versus limits

78% of parents say screen time for learning in kindergarten through 2nd grade should be limited but not banned. 11% want it banned and 7% want it unlimited (September 2026).
1% of parents want their child to have zero screen time for learning. 75% want schools to set a daily screen-time limit, including 81% of parents of K-5 students (May 2026).
74% say their school's use of computers and tablets is about the right amount; 17% say too much (May 2026).
9% say federal rules on AI go too far, and that figure never exceeded 14% in any party, race or income group. 38% say federal policy does not do enough to protect kids from AI (May 2026).
58% want school laptops kept on a cart and used at set times; 38% want them at desks all day (September 2026).

AI in the classroom

85% support K-12 public schools teaching students about AI safety; 10% oppose (September 2026).
77% support schools teaching students to use AI tools effectively; 17% oppose (September 2026).
71% support banning students from using AI chatbots during the school day; 21% oppose (September 2026). Parents want supervised, taught use, not unsupervised use.
63% say teaching students to use AI effectively should be a focus for their child's school next year, and 62% say figuring out how to use AI to support learning should be (May 2026).

Children's data and chatbot guardrails

86% support banning tech companies from using or harvesting children's online data; 10% oppose. Republicans 84%, independents 85%, Democrats 88%. It is the highest-scoring policy NPU has tested (September 2026).
Percent saying generative AI chatbots should be required by law to: alert parents if their child asks about harmful or illegal behavior, 90%; show pop-up warnings before sensitive content such as self-harm, violence or abuse, 89%; let parents limit the topics a chatbot can discuss with their child, 84%; let parents see their child's conversations, 83%; require a parent's permission before a minor can use it, 81% (May 2026).
Percent saying schools should: tell parents if their child will use or interact with AI, 88%; tell parents if their child's information or work is shared with AI, 87%; disclose if and how staff use AI for lessons, grading or scheduling, 84% (May 2026).
81% support prohibiting public schools from buying technology not proven safe and effective for learning, and 79% support requiring a federal agency to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of education technology (September 2026).
78% support requiring all smartphones to include a built-in "school mode" that lets schools limit distractions (September 2026).

Does AI help or hurt?

Asked whether AI's benefits in K-12 education outweigh the downsides, 21% said benefits, 23% said downsides and 47% said about equal; 9% were unsure (September 2026).
When undecided parents were asked which way they lean, the combined result was 46% benefits outweigh, 41% downsides outweigh, 13% cannot say: a close split with no majority either way.
Optimism runs by income and education more than party: 55% of parents earning $125,000 or more say benefits win, versus 33% earning under $30,000; 57% of parents with a graduate degree versus 38% with a high school education or less. Republicans 52%, Democrats 48%, independents 36%.
Net impact on their own child, percent mostly positive minus mostly negative: the internet +10, texting with other kids +6, artificial intelligence +4, cell phones −3, social media −24 (May 2026).

Readiness and skills

79% support requiring all public school teachers to be trained in digital and AI literacy and responsible technology use; 14% oppose. Republicans 83%, Democrats 80% (September 2026).
For comparison, Walton Family Foundation and Gallup found in June 2025 that 60% of teachers use AI for work and 18% have received formal training.
32% of parents give their child's school an A for communicating clear policies on technology and AI, the lowest of nine report-card measures (May 2026).
47% of parents call strong AI skills absolutely essential or very important for K-12 students, the lowest of eight skills tested. Reading 93%, critical thinking 90%, managing finances 89%, managing emotions 88%, math 86%, interpersonal skills 86%, using computer technology 83% (September 2026).
The AI-skills figure is 70% among parents with a graduate degree and 37% among parents with a high school education or less; 62% among parents earning $125,000 or more and 35% under $30,000.
In May 2026, on a differently worded question, 53% called AI skills essential or very important to their child's future career and 85% called them at least somewhat important. The two waves are not a trend line.
85% say digital literacy training on technology, the internet and AI would help students succeed after high school, including 46% who say it would help a lot (September 2026).
85% support providing high-speed home internet for public school students whose families could not otherwise afford it (September 2026).
66% support an AI Education Trust Fund paid for by a 3% tax on large AI companies, distributed by enrollment and need; 20% oppose (September 2026).

Party

On every technology policy tested in September 2026, Republican and Democratic parents were within four points of each other, and all three groups were within single digits on most items. The larger gaps are by income and education, not party.

Source and citation

National Parents Union / Echelon Insights, National Survey of Parents of K-12 Public School Students, September 7 to 11, 2026, N=1,528; and May 28 to June 1, 2026, N=1,527. Available at https://parentsonai.org. Data may be reused with attribution under CC BY 4.0.