LAUSD board votes to limit student screen time after parent pressure, requiring policy by June for 2026-27 school year
The Los Angeles Unified School District approved a resolution Tuesday to limit classroom screen time, marking a dramatic policy reversal after years of promoting universal device access to students.
The vote was 6 to 0, with President Scott Schmerelson recusing himself because he owns technology stocks.
Under the board motion, students will be kept away entirely from screens until the second grade. After that, screen time will be tracked and limited. The resolution also directs administrators to guide teachers toward more paper and pen assignments.
Board member Nick Melvoin, the original author of the resolution, said he anticipates key elements to be in effect by the fall, including the screen ban until second grade.
The proposal follows months of pressure from parents who started a group called Schools Beyond Screens. The coalition has grown rapidly to include thousands of members who spoke at board meetings, on social media, and in private meetings with administrators and board members about problems their children faced when required to use school-issued Chromebooks and iPads.
"It wasn't clear at first how parents seeing the harms of tech products firsthand would find common ground with district leadership promoting the use of these products," said Bridie Lee, a parent at Ivanhoe Elementary in Silver Lake. "We spent a lot of time sharing mountains of research on these issues and encouraging parents to share their experiences."
The resolution states that while developing skills in technology are critical in a digital world, excessive screen time can be associated with vision problems, increased anxiety and depression, addictive behavior, reduced attention span, difficulty managing emotions, lower academic achievement, and weaker cognition.
Under the board motion:
Acting Superintendent Andres Chait said school staff members have already been at work on developing the policy in expectation of the board's direction. The district will review the policy annually and survey students, parents and staff on it.
The district will also have to figure out a way to track how long students spend on devices and specific software, then share regular reports with parents.
Former Superintendent Alberto Carvalho previously dismissed parent concerns about excessive screen time in schools as "newly informed privilege" and framed providing devices to students as a matter of equity.
"Do we have a specific to digital tool addiction in America? Yes we are do — schools are not the reason, not even close," Carvalho said at a September board meeting. "Parental responsibility is very much a part of this equation."
Carvalho was placed on leave in February after the FBI searched his Los Angeles home and office, reportedly in connection with a failed technology company that the district paid $3 million to develop a nonfunctional AI chatbot.
Four dozen parents filled the board meeting room adorned with Schools Beyond Screens stickers and small signs reading "Teachers Over Tech" and "Relationships = Results." The parents erupted into applause once the vote was tallyed.
Anya Meksin, a mother of two and deputy director of Schools Beyond Screens, which she said has 2,000 members locally, said "This is an historic reform that we hope will trickle down to the rest of the country very, very quickly."
The resolution requires the district to present a detailed screen time policy to the school board in June, to take effect in the 2026-2027 school year. The policy must largely restrict elementary and middle school students from using devices during lunch and recess, and it must prohibit students from seeking out YouTube videos on their own.
Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, a co-sponsoring member, said she and Melvoin decided to introduce the resolution following meetings with members of the Schools Beyond Screens parent coalition.
"I hope that with this new policy, we're able to prioritize the uses of technology that have actual, real educational value, like coding, robotics, video production, editing and intervention for targeted students, while de-emphasizing rote tasks like reading text on screens, unlimited video streaming and other passive activities," Ortiz Franklin said.
The resolution also calls for a cost-benefit analysis, including a comprehensive itemized report of contracts related to classroom technology. This includes purchases, maintenance, and upkeep of one-to-one digital devices, software, digital tools, and applications.
The resolution notes that addiction-like use of short-form video content — including YouTube and social media platforms — are correlated with higher levels of social anxiety among adolescents. The earlier age of first use and higher frequency of usage are significantly associated with increased emotional and behavioral issues and most negatively impacts middle school students.
This article was generated with AI assistance.