The measure is a radical change for a district that, since the pandemic, has focused on bringing technology to the classroom.
States race to limit screen time
The change in the nation’s second-largest school district aligns with a flurry of recent state moves. Since January, Alabama, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have passed some form of legislation to reassess the role of technology in educational instruction and assessment, and more than 10 other states are considering similar restrictions.
T. Philip Nichols, associate professor of English education at Baylor University, called the LAUSD move “the pendulum swing.”
Nichols, who has researched the role of technology in public education for years, says all the recent activity is a shocking but welcome surprise. The proliferation of laptops, tablets and interactive whiteboards, he said, “are not just neutral tools. They shape the way we think. They shape the way we communicate.”
Recently Proposed Legislation in Vermont cited Nichols’ work in a bill That would allow parents to opt out of screen time for their children. Their research found that widespread computer use has not led to higher test scores or student achievement.
The Vermont bill also raises concerns about student data privacy.
“These platforms… are also collecting data on how students are engaging with them so they can sell products to schools,” Nichols said. “When you read a textbook, that textbook doesn’t read you.”
How much technology is too much?
Still, some lawyers consider decades of research about the potential of computers and technology to streamline learning and provide useful information for students and educators.
Tracy Weeks, senior director of education policy and strategy at edtech company Instructure, says rushing to broadly ban screen time in schools is reckless: “It’s like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
The structure creates digital classroom management tools such as Canvas and Mastery, used by approximately 30% of K-12 students nationwide.
“When we talk about things like screen time,” he says, “[it] It becomes very difficult because not all minutes are the same depending on what you are doing.”
He says again that doomscrolling and passively watching videos are different from the interactive activities that many teachers use to keep kids interested.
A bipartisan push
LAUSD’s vote to limit screen time gave district administrators a June deadline to craft an official policy. The board also seeks to implement the new rules this fall in classrooms. Parents and teachers won’t know the extent of those rules until this summer.
The projected implementation in Los Angeles is rapid but echoes other proposed laws. In Utah, a Back to basics law to limit screen time It takes effect July 1 and gives the state board of education until the end of the calendar year to draft a new policy for schools, although it’s not yet clear when it will be implemented in classrooms.
“We’re trying to help kids develop healthier habits with technology,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said in a press conference. “We’re not exactly going to get it done on the first try, but we’re certainly moving in the right direction.”
In Missouri, the state House passed a bill this spring to limit screen time. The proposal, like others making their way through state legislatures, was introduced by a Republican lawmaker. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in the House and is now on its way to the state Senate.
Kathy Steinhoff is a Democratic state representative and former teacher who ended up voting for the Missouri bill. She says she was hesitant at first: “When I saw that bill I thought, ‘Oh, there’s no way I can support this.'”
The initial proposal called for no more than 45 minutes of screen time per day and called for instruction in cursive writing. Steinhoff says he understood the research behind the proposal, but did not agree with prescribing such rigid instructions to teachers.
“Teaching is a kind of art,” he said. “And when you try to make it more of a checklist… I think it loses its ability to really have a meaningful education for our children.”
However, he said that over time changes in the legislation made it less rigid and gave school districts more room to set their own policies.
The version that passed the Missouri House of Representatives is similar to the one voted on by LAUSD: the school district must Come up with your own policies to limit screen time.
The big difference? The timeline. Steinhoff argued that even the 2027 deadline in Missouri’s current bill is too tight a change.
