The Dark Side of Digital Learning: A Confession from the Frontlines of Education

As an educator, I’ve always prided myself on staying ahead of the curve. I helped to found one of the most technologically advanced schools in the world—Avenues: The World School in New York City—with a vision to prepare students not just for today, but for tomorrow. We were hailed as a New School of Thought, and rightly so. We brought education into the digital age, embracing the power of technology to equip students for a future we could only begin to imagine. Our school had an infrastructure so cutting-edge, it made most colleges look like they were stuck in the stone age.

In admissions speeches, I proudly boasted to prospective parents that Avenues “had more fiber optic cable running through our building than Intel’s headquarters,” a claim that was indeed true at the time. This cutting-edge tech wasn’t just for show; it was the backbone of our wireless iPads and laptops—tools of modern-day learning. We were revolutionizing education.

But here’s the truth that never crossed my mind—nor any other academic leader that I know of—never once did we stop to ask if it was safe?

We failed to ask the most fundamental question: What is the cost of all this technology on our children? Our students—our most vulnerable—were still developing physically and mentally, and we never considered the impact that constant, high exposure to wireless radiation might have on them as they sat in a tin box in the heart of New York City.

And maybe that’s why my own child, a student at the school I helped build, was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Jacob. He was just 5 years old, but has been there since utero. I think about that sometimes. Maybe it was my punishment for hurting other children? Or was this just the universe’s way of getting my attention—forcing me to stop, think, and finally ask the questions we all should have been asking from the very beginning.

Educators,

It is our job—our primary responsibility—to safeguard the well-being of the children in our care. And it is a scientific fact: These devices we’ve integrated into our schools emit radiation. We are bathing our students in this radiation, and yes—it causes cancer. It also contributes to inflammatory diseases, which are at the heart of the child health epidemic in our country. While no one is more excited about the tech revolution in education than I am (TRULY—check out my bio), it would be unethical for me to not acknowledge the growing body of evidence in other parts of the world that what we are doing is reckless.

Some context you need to know:

In the United States, the Telecommunications Act has essentially given telecom companies immunity from the potential harm their products may cause. As a result, there is little research into the dangers of wireless technologies, especially for children. The minimal regulation that exists doesn’t even require testing on a model based on women—only men. And children? Their exposure to radiation is not even considered. Yet we know that women and children absorb up to 20 times more radiation than men due to having more fluid in their bodies. So, even if a device is deemed “safe” in the United States, that’s only for a 200+ pound adult male.

This oversight is not just negligent—it’s dangerous and makes it nearly impossible for you, educators, to make informed decisions for the welfare of the children entrusted to you. That’s why we need to look elsewhere for answers.

I urge you to look at Israel.

Israel, a global leader in tech innovation, is taking action where we’ve failed. Unlike the U.S., Israel does not grant telecom immunity, which means there’s better research happening. So how does Israel treat Wi-Fi in their schools?

In Israel, Wi-Fi routers have been banned from early childhood centers, and more recently (based on more damning research), they’ve recommended removing Wi-Fi routers from elementary schools altogether, replacing them with wired connections. Israel’s model shows us that we don’t have to sacrifice innovation to protect our children’s health. We can create a safe, connected environment that fosters learning, without the risk of prolonged radiation exposure.

Educators, we cannot be afraid to admit when we’ve made mistakes.

We cannot be afraid to confront the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Make this a topic at your next board meeting. It’s time to start this conversation, to advocate for the safety of our youngest children, and to push for change. We are incubating our kids in radiation and we have no excuse not to acknowledge this. If we don’t acknowledge it, we can’t fix it—and this can be fixed!

We have the power to change this. We can continue to innovate in education, but we must innovate responsibly. It’s time to prioritize our children's health over convenience. The question is no longer whether we should, but how quickly we can act to ensure a safer, smarter future for every child. Let’s rise to the occasion and make the necessary change—for our kids, for our schools, and for the future.