Los Angeles School District Pioneers Limits on Classroom Screen Time

Wed Apr 22 2026 17:05:36 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In a significant move, Los Angeles has become the first major U.S. school district to impose limits on classroom screen time, aiming to balance digital engagement and student well-being.

The Los Angeles education board has voted to restrict screen time for students, banning device usage for first graders and younger. This change is part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on technology, initially heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic, and seeks to prioritize student learning and well-being.

The Los Angeles education board has voted to restrict student screen time in classrooms, making it the first major US school system to do so.

The new resolution requires staff to formulate screen-time policies tailored to grade levels and prohibits the use of devices by first-grade students and younger.

This initiative arises as the district, which serves approximately half a million students, seeks to minimize dependence on technological devices such as tablets and laptops, a reliance exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Nick Melvoin, a board member who proposed the resolution, while devices served as a vital resource for students in 2020, it is now time for a reset. I believe that we have the opportunity to lead the nation, to establish comprehensive, developmentally grounded screen-time limits that put students before screens, he stated during a Tuesday meeting.

Melvoin emphasized that the initiative does not aim to regress but rather to fundamentally rethink screen time in education for the betterment of student learning.

The upcoming restrictions, anticipated to take effect in the next school year, will ban YouTube and other video-streaming services on devices issued by the school and will permit parents to opt their children out of specific digital tools.

The resolution draws on research indicating that children aged 8 to 11 who exceed recommended screen time are more prone to obesity, exhibit depressive symptoms, and score lower on cognitive assessments.

This measure follows a 2024 initiative that prohibited mobile phones and social media platforms in classroom settings.

Board member Kelly Gonez remarked, Technology can be a powerful tool, but too much screen time has detrimental effects on our students. This resolution will ensure we are prioritizing important skills and learning experiences for students, while also protecting their childhoods and well-being through research-based screen time limits.

Anya Meksin, deputy director of the parent advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens, heralded this movement as a significant cultural shift in how schools manage technology. This is a historic reform that we hope will resonate across the country very quickly, she told NBC News.