Los Angeles Unified to limit screen time for all students, prohibits use among very young students

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The Los Angeles Unified School District voted unanimously to limit screen time in the classroom, ordering staff to enact the policy in June before the next school year.

The solution aims to set clear limits on how screens are used in classrooms at all grade levels. It was inspired by Schools Beyond Screens, a parent group that has spent months pushing the district to examine how the use of devices affects student learning, especially in the early grades.

The move marks a change in how the nation’s second-largest school district approaches classroom technology, as officials respond to concerns about overuse.

“What we don’t have is an equal amount of resources to protect students from the harm of a full or passive screen. Today’s screens can be a hindrance to education,” said a parent at a board meeting shortly before the board’s vote. The proposal coming to the board for approval in June is expected to include:

• Daily and weekday screen time limits by grade level — an example given in the proposed amendment was no more than one hour per day or five hours per week for third through fifth graders, though no details were provided on the actual time limits.
• The elimination of student digital device use in early education in the first grade, except for students enrolled in the district’s virtual learning program and certain district-mandated assessments.
• Denial of student access to YouTube
• The idea is to ban video games that are not educational in nature, such as Roblox and Fortnite
• Encouraging the use of computer labs and limiting the use of individual devices for students in grades two through five, while allowing families to opt-in to using district-issued devices at home as a way to ensure equitable digital access.

Except for board President Scott Schmerelson, who resigned, all board members commented on the decision before hearing public input and voted to support the decision.

“We know technology isn’t going away and it can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not going back. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to make sure we’re doing what really helps students learn better,” said board member Nick Melvoin while discussing the decision, which he co-wrote.

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Board member Kelly Gonez amended the resolution to include the i-Ready implementation test, a district-mandated test that went into effect in 2023. The amendment proved popular among some in the audience, who could be heard clapping and cheering on two separate occasions when board members spoke about revising Ready.

“I know that our families and educators are actively trying to navigate that balance between technology as a learning tool while avoiding excessive, poorly planned screen time that has real consequences for our children,” Gonez said during the board meeting.

“I hope that with this new policy, we can prioritize the use of technologies that have real, real educational value, such as coding, robotics, video production, programming and guided student interventions, while de-emphasizing indirect activities such as reading text on screens, unlimited video streaming and other passive activities.”

Board member Sherlett Hendy Newbill supported the decision but questioned whether the timeline was feasible. “I don’t want to rush this because this means we have to come back in June.” It’s been a few weeks since we were able to do this,” he said, although the board ultimately decided to keep the June deadline.

Although parents and public speakers were very supportive, some thought the decision could go too far by limiting screen use.

After thanking the board for introducing the decision, one parent described it as “a child’s decision.” The parent continued: “It’s better than nothing, but it has no teeth.”

Among the things this parent pushed for were banning screen time in second grade and removing one-to-one device use requirements.