I don't respond to student emails and neither should you.
I have been teaching for a number of years and always responded to student emails. I thought it was my responsibility and part of my job, I guess. I wanted to help students and guide them through whatever difficulty they were having. As the emails have become increasing absurd, stupid, manipulative, written by AI, etc. I found myself getting angry and upset. "What has happened to the youth? How could they ask such a question? Can they really be this (enter adjective)?" And so on. I would read an absurd email and then stew about it for hours, not because I was personally offended, but because I would be affected by seeing what a sad state my students were in. It was honestly taking a toll on me (and I would not identify as a sensitive person).
Last semester I realized: I don't have to answer emails that are absurd, stupid, manipulative, AI, etc., in fact, I should not. For my own benefit and for that of the students. I then designed new syllabus policies so that common questions were answered in the syllabus (like what to do when sick, when an assignment is late, etc.). Why should you have to respond to an email to give a student information they already have access to via the syllabus? You shouldn't. They can read it themselves. I want to instill in them some sense of responsibility and agency over their own learning - they should know to have the responsibility to check information they already have. What about a question concerning course content, like a question about an assigned reading, or what is on the exam in 2 weeks from now? Well, they have 3 hours per week to ask that question in class, and more often than not, it is a benefit for the other students to hear the answer.
In fact, there are very few cases that I can imagine require a response over email. Either check the syllabus, or if the answer isn't there, ask it next class! If a student has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and needs some help keeping up - fine - I'll reply to that, because I understand that student can't wait to ask the question in class. But 99% of emails I receive can be answered by the syllabus, or its a question that can wait until class time.
I really cannot come up with any justified reason for replying to such emails. And now, I let my students know that I won't - and then I don't!
Thoughts? Am I wrong here? Like you, I never questioned the need to respond to emails, but once I did, I found it has been a revelation.