this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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The problem is they can't control Chromebooks. Give them a Linux laptop with a purposeful distro that doesn't allow them to play Minecraft. Boom, problem solved.
Chromebooks are basically designed to be easy to lock down and be remotely administrator controlled. It seems like schools in this article just... aren't doing that for some reason? Maybe they just don't have the time or technical knowledge.
Minecraft isn't the problem.
The problem is the 24/7 input of corporate right wing propaganda and brainwashing.
What does that have to do with computers?
A lot, TBH. The walled garden is everything in tech these days. When you control the platform and make it hard to leave, you control the flow of information.
What does that have to do with right wing propaganda? I'm just not seeing the connection.
When you control the device, you control the information allowed on to the device.
Are you suggesting the right wing somehow controls all compute devices? And if so, how?
The Trump administration already had apps removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play. (ICETracker, Tiktok was until it was sold to hard MAGA supporters)
Also, there have been many studies showing how YouTube videos will push right-wing agenda videos to people.
These are the 2 major aspects for chidren, locked down app stores and YouTube, both which have shown a favortism for right-wing politics lately.
This doesn't include Tiktok's new MAGA owners, Discord's usage of age verifaction company Persona (which feds the info to the Trump administration) X(itter). Social media that force-feeds children right-wing propaganda.
That's an internet and media problem, not a computer problem.
so far, nobody's talked about taking away computers. however, you're correct in that taking them away is not a solution.
american schools are notoriously underfunded. google realized this a few years ago when they came out with the Chromebook lineup, which are dirt cheap entries into the google ecosystem. the hardware is not the problem, the data collection introduced to children in the guise of convenience at early stages is.
my preferred solution to that would be to introduce hardware outside of the google ecosystem. the issue is, very few companies can produce at scale in the way google can. any competitors would have to sell hardware below asking price to compete. its not feasible for small companies to do so. apple and Microsoft could, but they don't have the same data collection ecosystem that google does for the same hardware subsidies.
another big reason small companies can't compete is that the entire Gsuite is cloud based. all you need to access it is a browser. there's not a single public school with the IT team to set up an open-source alternative, so schools are forced (or are enthusiastic about the opportunity) to get a full Microsoft-esque productivity suite for the kids without the licensing fees.
ever tried to convince someone non-tech savvy to switch from chrome to Firefox? attitudes range from uninterested to impossible, despite the functionality being identical at worst. now try to do that with every single tool they've been using since they were in elementary school.
its a simple game plan. lock them into a data-harvesting ecosystem. collect their data. nudge their opinions. influence their votes.
I guess not explicitly but I felt like that was being implied above.
It is, that’s what motivates my kids.
So a big problem is lack of control. If schools provide electronics they want it to be cheap, zero maintenance, and limited to academic work to the extent possible.
Kids want their control, they want their features and options, and yes they want to do other things. But not every kid can afford a laptop, not every kid can keep their laptop in working condition, and not every kid will focus on schoolwork as much as they need to
My kids are in college now, and the electric is requirement is “bring your laptop”
Maybe I am misunderstanding what you’re saying but this sounds like an entitlement issue. Kids don’t need to be able to do more than schoolwork on school provided computers.
Kids want to do more than schoolwork. Maybe that’s entitlement, but the point is they are going to bitch and moan because they can’t
My grandma used to say “put your wants in one hand and take a shit in the other and see which one fills up faster.”
The point is these are school computers, they shouldn’t be treated any differently than a computer lab computer just because they’re at your house.
That's fine, some kids will do that, and I hope they do. But they will be a minority.
It's a valuable part of the education....
Once they do they'll share it with friends and it will make its way around.
It's literally what I did in school
And you probably learned a lot doing it. I know I did. Dunno if you're old enough to remember Ninja Proxy but it's what we used to bypass the firewall and I learned a lot about networking after that.
If a fifth grader uses copy.fail to gain root access on their Chromebook I say we let them have some extra Minecraft time.
Not as good as searching the internet for the answer but it shows promise
In my son’s fifth grade class last year, it was fucking Cookie Clicker. 🙄
Why would the fuck Cookie Clicker? They hot?
The problem is there is no compelling data that these devices are superior for learning. They are distractions and expense with no proven benefit.
There's some benefit... my daughter was assigned a Window 11 Lenovo the last two tears and now hates Microsoft AND Windows.
Her personal laptop runs linux.
You could have created a temporary dual boot to teach her that in a weekend. Parents are so lazy these days.
Nah, her kind of deep seated hatred comes from required usage over time, not from a weekend. Short term exposure just doesn't do it.
It doesn't matter if they're superior or not, they need to learn to use them, because every job is going to expect them to be able to.
I think it would take a pretty big effort to keep kids from learning how to use basic functions on tablets or laptops. They are inundated with these in and out of school. They don't need to use them in school to be comfortabke with them on the job market.
I've taught more than one college student how to Ctrl+c/Ctrl+v.
Most kids already don't know
And yet a lot of kids are entering the workforce today not knowing how to use a computer mouse or what a web browser is.
Probably best to focus on child labor laws then.
For young adults entering the workforce computer literacy is dropping DESPITE a clear increase in school computer use. This is not an argument for kids being shackeld to tablets for their school work. Basic computer science courses, typing courses and computer lab exposure are sufficient.
Or a file system.
The devices for my kids saved me a crapload on buying textbooks.
They consider it a benefit that now they can hand in their assignment just before midnight Friday night the week it’s due