A commentary argues that the backlash against technology in schools is prompting sweeping restrictions that may flatten distinctions between attention-capturing consumer tools and evidence-based instructional supports. The piece points to cellphone bans spanning at least 38 states and the District of Columbia and argues AI intensifies the dispute. The author differentiates passive screen time from tools that provide adaptive academic support, and warns that efforts like removing elementary Chromebooks could eliminate instructional infrastructure when the goal should be outcome-improving design and guardrails. For higher education leaders and education-policy partners, the argument signals how “technology in classrooms” debates increasingly intersect with AI policy development and instructional efficacy evidence standards.