Homework on a tablet or on paper?

Neither is bad in itself. For reading longer information texts, research finds comprehension is a little better on paper, especially when rushed; for stories there is little difference. If homework needs a screen, keep it in a shared room, lock it to one app, and put it away when the task is done.

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Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac

Written by the Ask Poppy team, who make one of the tools mentioned here. The advice works with any AI, or none. We haven't run a controlled study of our own app.

Paper or screen, task by task

	Lean towards	Why
Reading a book or a longer information text	Paper or a printed book	Comprehension of information texts tends to be a little better on paper, especially when rushed
A maths or reading app the school set	The screen, as set	The teacher may track progress in it; do it in a shared room with other apps closed
Spelling and times tables	Out loud, then on paper	Saying it is quick; the test is usually written
Looking something up	A screen, side by side with you	Young children can't yet judge which results to trust
"I don't get it" moments	Talk it through out loud	The thinking happens in the conversation, whatever device is nearby

What the research says

A 2018 meta-analysis of 54 studies with 171,055 participants found a small but consistent advantage for reading on paper over screens (Hedges' g = −0.21). The gap was larger when reading was time-limited, held for information texts but not for stories alone, and grew over the years studied (Delgado et al., 2018). A 2019 meta-analysis of 33 experiments found the same pattern: paper ahead for information texts (g = −0.32), no difference for stories, no difference in reading time, and readers judged their own understanding more accurately on paper (Clinton, 2019). Most participants were older students and adults, so the size of the effect for 7 to 10 year olds is not known.

A calmer setup if homework needs a screen

Shared room, not the bedroom. You can see what is open without hovering.
One app. On an iPhone or iPad, Guided Access locks the device to a single app until you enter a passcode, and can add a time limit (Apple Support).
Paper first where you can. Print the reading or ask the school for a paper copy if your child struggles on screen.
Device away when it's done. Homework time shouldn't drift into screen time. The AAP Family Media Plan is a free way to agree the rules as a family.

Thinking about what your child should have instead of a phone of their own? See what to give a 9-year-old instead of a phone and screen-free AI and audio tools for kids.

Where Ask Poppy fits

We make Ask Poppy, so weigh this accordingly. It's a voice-first thinking companion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A child holds to talk and Poppy speaks back; it asks what they already know and offers one hint at a time rather than leading with the answer. Parents can add up to three child profiles and open each child's conversations (children are told a parent can see them), and can switch Poppy's memory off for each child. It can look things up on the web and check national curriculum goals (fullest for Norway, Sweden and Finland; core subjects for England, France, Germany and Spain). Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store). It is designed not to hand over the answer, but like any AI it can slip, and it can make mistakes. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. The app works fully on its own.

Sources (checked 11 Nov 2026): Delgado, Vargas, Ackerman & Salmerón, Educational Research Review, 2018 · Clinton, Journal of Research in Reading, 2019 · Apple Support: Use Guided Access · AAP Family Media Plan · Ask Poppy on the App Store. Ask Poppy facts are from the current app and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].

Want homework help your child can talk to? Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store prices) on iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)

Try Ask Poppy free See the screen-free device

Questions

Is it bad for kids to do homework on a tablet?

Not in itself. Many schools set maths or reading apps, and those are meant to be done on a screen. The research concern is narrower: for reading longer, information-heavy texts, comprehension tends to be a little better on paper, and a tablet brings other apps and notifications within reach.

Is reading on a tablet as good as reading a book?

For stories, studies find little difference. For information texts, and when reading is rushed, paper tends to come out slightly ahead. Most studies were with older students and adults, so treat it as a lean, not a rule, for 7 to 10 year olds.

How do I stop my child getting distracted on the iPad during homework?

Keep it in a shared room, close everything except the homework app, and on an iPhone or iPad turn on Guided Access, which locks the device to one app until you enter a passcode. Put it away as soon as the task is done.

What is screen-free homework help?

Help that doesn't need the child to look at a screen: a parent or sibling, a library book, a printed sheet, talking it through out loud. The Ask Poppy app is voice-first, but it runs on a parent's iPhone or iPad, so it is not screen-free; a one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

By Simon Dreyer, founder of Ask Poppy · Last updated 11 November 2026 · How we write these pages