Screens would be banned until 2nd grade under draft LAUSD plan

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Computers — and all other digital screens — would be banned for Los Angeles public school students until second grade, according to a draft plan to limit screen time.The ban would start at the beginning of the school year this fall.

Older students would see screen-time limitations phased in over the 2026-27 school year.One reason for the delay is that the district wants to develop a way to monitor how much technology students are using, Chief Academic Officer Frances Baez said at Tuesday’s Los Angeles Unified school board meeting.

The plan wouldn’t change district policy on students’ personal cellphones, because their use already is prohibited on campus.For grades two through five, screen-time limits would begin in November; middle and high schools in January 2027.The initiative represents a hard turn from decades of evolution in the direction of increased online instruction, as district leaders formerly prioritized getting computers into the hands of every student every day, at home and on campus.But there has been growing resistance — locally and nationwide — among parents and advocates in response to the dominance of screens in the lives of young children and teens.

The L.A.Board of Education was on the leading edge by adopting an on-campus student cellphone ban in June 2024.The results of such bans are a subject of debate and study, but they continue to grow in popularity among educators and parents.

California Despite warnings from early childhood experts against too much screen time, schools’ reliance on educational technology for grade levels as low as transitional kindergarten has grown — and frustrated parents.Experts have linked excessive screen time to academic, physical and emotional harm, with the research focusing mainly on screen time outside of schoolwork, such as gaming and scrolling through videos and social media.At issue now is screen t...