After more than 15 years of laptops in the classroom, do Australian schools need a rethink?

School laptops were touted as the ‘toolbox of the 21st century’ but many teachers and parents are calling for a rethink. Photograph: J Studios/Getty Images

Earlier this month, the federal education minister, Jason Clare, took to Facebook. “When I was a kid there was a computer room at school. Now they are everywhere. From morning till night,” he wrote. “I think there is a good argument our kids need a digital detox.”

Since that post, as the minister told ABC News Breakfast last week, he has been “inundated” with support from parents and teachers.