"I Was Proud He Finished His Homework Quickly"... Dad Shocked After Checking Son's YouTube History

Some students even rush through assignments to watch YouTube

A U.S. parent raised concerns with his son's school after learning that the boy had watched 120 YouTube videos during class over four days.

"My son is a great kid, but he's already addicted to screens": A U.S. father's plea

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According to the Daily Mail on October 14 local time, Jeff Howard, whose son attends a middle school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, attended a school board meeting on October 12 and raised concerns about excessive screen use at school.

At a parent-teacher conference held the previous week, Howard learned that his son could watch YouTube or listen to music during free time. He then checked his son's viewing history and found that the boy had watched 120 YouTube videos over four days, from Monday through Thursday. Howard claimed that the videos had all played during class time.

He said his son had been rushing to finish assignments so he could watch more YouTube videos. At the school board meeting, Howard said, "My son finishes his assignments and then wants to watch another YouTube video. He's a great kid, but he's addicted to screens."

Howard also said, "I was told that when the teacher checked my son's grades, he had scored 17 points on one assignment. It initially took him six minutes to complete it, but when he retook it, he finished in two minutes." After checking his son's YouTube viewing history, Howard said it appeared that the boy had rushed through the assignment to watch more videos.

"We need to discuss how much time students spend on screens"

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After the concern was raised, the school investigated and restricted the boy's access to YouTube during free time, allowing him to listen to music only. Howard said he also prevents his son from using YouTube at home without adult supervision. He argued that the school should block YouTube itself.

The controversy has also fueled debate over how much time students in U.S. schools should be allowed to spend using digital devices. Rick Cobb, superintendent of Mid-Del School District in southeastern Oklahoma City since 2015, said, "We need to discuss how much students' screen time should be limited. We should distinguish between what they need for class and what they use during free time after completing assignments."

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, a bill to limit daily screen time to one hour for students from kindergarten through fifth grade passed the state House with 95 votes in favor and none opposed, but failed to pass the state Senate. Superintendent Cobb expects the issue to be discussed again during the state legislature's session in February 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.