Chromebooks are the only devices that we students here at ERHS still have access to after the New York state ban on all personal electronics, but a new issue has arisen with them: their restrictions. I understand that schools want to keep students focused, especially during class, but why is everything blocked even during lunch, free periods, and even at home?
No YouTube
The Linewize filter is so broad that it blocks even useful or educational content. The YouTube ban, which I know was a state decision, already made it harder for students to learn visually. According to the National Library of Medicine, 65% of the global population are visual learners. It’s quite hypocritical because we learn digitally in classrooms all the time, so why can’t the same be applied when we learn independently? Even when students found alternatives, those got banned too. Some of us actually use videos and AI tools to study, review lessons, and understand topics that we don’t understand from teachers. Blocking every site doesn’t fix distraction; it limits learning.
No Earbuds
Not just that, we can’t even bring our personal earbuds to connect them to our Chromebooks, regardless of whether we want to listen to a study video, an Edpuzzle assignment, or use white noise to concentrate. Earbuds aren’t just used for the purpose of blasting music; many students use them to block background noise in loud settings. Playing videos out loud doesn’t solve the issue either; sometimes the background noise is so loud that even maximum volume isn’t enough, and other times it distracts everyone else. What I find crazy is that all this excessive blocking isn’t just limited to the school’s Wi-Fi; none of this works even when we’re sitting at home.
No AI
Some people assume students use tools like ChatGPT to cheat, but that’s a bold assumption. Not everyone uses it that way. According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, 80 percent of students say digital tools help them study more effectively. In this era of the digital age, people use AI for convenience, to work smarter, not harder. The AI ban just makes things inconvenient because we’ll use it anyway once we get home. So why can’t we use it in school to save time and improve our work? I understand not wanting students to cheat or get distracted, but how could anyone use ChatGPT to cheat on an exam when we literally have to put all our devices away? And if a student misuses it, that’s their choice and responsibility. By high school, we should be trusted to make those decisions ourselves. Schools should teach us how to use technology wisely, not restrict us from using it at all. It’s even ironic that the College Board allows some use of AI for research papers, yet our school doesn’t allow it at all.
Lack of Privacy & Double Standards
What’s also concerning is how closely students are monitored. Just because it’s a school-issued Chromebook doesn’t mean we should be tracked 24/7. There’s a difference between keeping students safe online and invading their privacy. Every word we type or every website we click on is constantly being watched. It creates a toxic environment where we feel like we’re constantly being mistrusted and always thinking about what is going to get unblocked next. We aren’t even allowed to log into our personal Google accounts, which again just makes things unnecessarily complicated and directly impacts our productivity. And while students are constantly restricted, teachers still have full access to AI and other tools. That’s a double standard. If they are trusted to use technology responsibly, we should be too.
A Solution
I’m not saying the school has to remove all filters; some levels of protection make sense, especially during class time. But it should be reasonable. Keep restrictions where they’re necessary, not everywhere. Students should be more directly involved in such decisions instead of them being enforced out of the blue. Technology often gets a negative connotation among adults, but not every student has weak morals or bad intentions. When used responsibly, it can actually make learning more engaging and efficient.
We’re growing up in a digital age, and instead of being blocked from the tools that will exist even more in the future, we should be learning how to walk with the rest of the world: responsibly, wisely, and freely. Schools are meant to prepare us for the real world beyond classrooms, and the truth is that it runs on technology.
Julian • Jun 5, 2026 at 11:58 am
i agree with you.some sites are educational and are necessary for learning, they really need to unban at least some of these sites as they are important for learning.