Coalition Urges Schools to Ban YouTube and Gemini on Student Devices

The campaign, spearheaded by the nonprofit DMV Unplugged, highlights a stark contradiction: while over 1,000 districts have initiated litigation against YouTube for allegedly addicting and harming students, many continue to provide access to the platform on district-issued devices. The coalition warns that Google is actively shifting legal responsibility onto schools, utilizing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to evade accountability when students encounter harmful material.

Beyond YouTube, the groups expressed alarm over the recent, unauthorized rollout of Gemini on student devices. Common Sense Media has labeled the chatbot as high-risk, noting its tendency to surface inappropriate content and its potential impact on student mental health. Keena McAvoy, co-founder of DMV Unplugged, argued that tech companies have prioritized capturing student attention while forcing schools to absorb the consequences of the resulting safety failures. The coalition is urging administrators to prioritize digital safety over platform integration to protect the 12 million students currently enrolled in the targeted districts.