As parents fight to pull their children away from screens, business and political leaders continue pushing a disembodied vision of education: humanoid robot teachers showcased at the White House, children strapped into VR headsets, and slick promises that technology will “personalize” learning. Multibillion-dollar efforts to “transform education” rely on screen-based technology with documented harms: tech addiction, attention deficit, myopia, social isolation, and stunted cognitive growth. The same devices used for learning can also expose children to predators, pornography, and extremist content. Yet schools continue to place powerful, cloud-connected technology into children’s hands for hours each day. Despite these known harms, why does it continue to be used? In this Broadside, Priscilla West dives into what in theory could support genuine learning but in practice generates economic value for corporations and alienates children from their families, communities, and country.