Kate Mulvaney testifies on accessing inappropriate content on school-issued iPad

Good afternoon, my name is Kate Mulvaney and I have a second grader in a DOE school.

And first, I literally access YouTube on my son's school-issued device this afternoon, and anyone who's interested can take a look, I have it right here.

Earlier this year, my first, then first grader, told me that he watched Lego Batman in class.

Surprised, I asked him how he did so, and he told me he did it on a school-issued iPad, and oh, by the way, he also read about kidnapping.

This was around the time of the incident with Savannah Guthrie's mother.

This started my inquiry into what is going on with this device that he was issued in kindergarten.

To start, I privately searched, which in and of itself should not be an option for school-aged children on school-issued devices, for some basic terms such as, excuse me, sex, porn, AR-15, beheading, and boobs.

And I got the following, some of which I've submitted images of online as part of my testimony.

How to Have Sex Like a Porn Star, a Masterclass with Sylvia Sage, Top 5 Most Popular Porn Stars of the 80s, Lots of Stuff About Overcoming Your Porn Addiction, Swingers, a short film, Boy Love, a short film,

How an AR-15 Works, Lots of Photos and Information About Breast Implants, and Punishment Around the World.

Additionally, I was also able to access the Anarchist Cookbook, which teaches a person how to make various types of bombs, mace, and Molotov cocktails.

Even aside from the content, there is simply too much screen use.

If it isn't devices being used to read to our children, videos incorporated into the curriculum to teach them math, and YouTube videos, interviews shown of celebrities,

discussing things like perseverance.

It is smart boards in places like the gymnasium, movies being shown during indoor recess, and Danny Go brain breaks.

When I lamented to my son that he watched a video in math class, he said, but mama, how are the teachers going to know how to teach us if they don't watch the video?

I'm not sure the new DOE guidance will make that much of a difference when the majority of screen use is exempted.

Not only is it built into instruction, it's baked into both city assessments and state tests.

Even test prep relies on interfacing with screens.

The issue of one-to-one devices and screen time is not only for those in second grade and below.

It is a problem for all students.

None of them should be accessing this content or spending this much time in front of any type of screen.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your testimony and these shocking examples, too.

They really, I think, highlight the holes in the policy and the holes in the oversight from DOE.

So we appreciate that very much.

Thank you.