The Los Angeles Unified School District will ban classroom screen time in preschool through first grade, and has enacted limited use for older students, under a policy approved on Tuesday by the school board that reflects growing backlash from parents and educators who are concerned about an over-reliance on computers and technology in K-12 (Kindergarten to 12th grade) learning. The policy also blocks YouTube and social media sites during the school day.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, beginning in August, district guidelines will prohibit in-school screen time from preschool through first grade. It will restrict daily screen time to 20 minutes, including homework assignments, in second and third grade and 30 minutes in fourth and fifth grade beginning in November.
Middle school students will be limited to one hour of screen time spread throughout the week in each class, for a total of six hours weekly to account for a variety of class schedules, the report stated. The time will increase to 1.5 hours for high school students and is not to exceed 10 hours a week, it added.
The policy was fueled in part by parents' demands to halt the reliance of computers in the classroom. The Los Angeles Times stated that grassroots coalitions have pushed for limits in California and nationwide as parents have become alarmed over how digital activities are replacing hands-on learning and peer interaction.
Students will also no longer be given a school computer to take home every day, the report read. "It's an incredibly robust and groundbreaking document," said school board member Nick Melvoin, who introduced the initial resolution in March. "It is going to be the basis for reform throughout the country, if not the world," he added.
According to the report, how teachers use technology in the classroom will also change. Schools will have to limit students' exposure to advertising and commercial promotion, and technology use will be limited to educational purposes, it added. Websites such as YouTube, social media and streaming platforms will be blocked for students, as per the new policy.