Students’ classroom screen time will be scaled back under a proposal expected to win approval Tuesday from the Los Angeles Board of Education, a dramatic reversal of years-long efforts to equip students with computers and Internet access — and a move that comes amid growing parental pressure on the devices.
The decision asks teachers to “encourage the use of paper and pen assignments” and is also considering restricting student access to YouTube and the gaming platforms Roblox and “Fortnite.”
Under the board’s motion, students will be kept away from screens until second grade, and after that, screen time will be tracked and limited.
The proposal, which was first put forward by board member Nick Melvoin, builds on research that suggests that regular use of digital devices harms academic, emotional and physical development. Another important factor in bringing this issue to light was a group of activist parents.
The board’s decision states, “Although access to and development of technology skills is important in the digital world, excessive screen time can be associated with vision problems, increased anxiety and depression, addictive behaviors, reduced attention span, difficulty regulating emotions, lower academic achievement, and poorer cognition.”
The solution runs into four blank pages of Tuesday’s meeting agenda – a complex, detailed approach to a troubling issue.
If successful, much policy-making work remains to be done. The resolution, for example, directs staff to “provide expected and maximum daily and weekly screen time limits for students defined by grade level. (eg, a total of 1 hour per day or 5 hours per week for students in grades 3-5).”
The decision stops short of proposing precisely what those limits should be. Melvoin agreed that good lessons and educational resources can be found on popular social media and YouTube.
“I want to respect teachers as professionals, and there is a lot of good teaching on YouTube,” Melvoin said in an interview. But there are three things that concern me about YouTube for students. Another is more screen time. Two is ads, and three is gameplay, and it’s kind of an algorithm and a rabbit hole to go down.”
A new focus on tracking screen time is also a feature of the proposal.
An LA Unified spokesperson recently said elementary school students spend an average of 31 to 50 minutes a day in the classroom, adding that the district is working with schools to ensure they use technology responsibly and effectively. The use of one-to-one devices is left to the discretion of each school.
Melvoin said he does not question the district’s integrity on the matter, but added that it is his understanding that the district currently cannot track total student screen time across all platforms, programs and devices.
There is also a retrospective aspect of the proposed policy.
The renovation could bring about inaccessible computer labs to replace the current level of computing for every student. Computer labs were phased out years ago because they were out of date and academically inadequate for the student’s daily and even hourly needs.
In this rollback of the machines, the district will “encourage schools to use mobile carts and/or computer labs for grades two through five, while reducing the use of one-to-one machines.”
In addition, the resolution would “prohibit device use by elementary and middle school students during recess, lunch, and recess except as limited to teacher-approved school work.”
This device ban will build on the cellphone ban that went into effect last year. Paper and pen is also a growing strategy among educators to combat the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence.
Also included in the board’s proposal is a request for a cost-benefit analysis: “The district will also present a comprehensive report on contract items related to classroom technology – broken down by main office purchases and school purchases – including but not limited to the purchase, maintenance, and upkeep of each digital device, software, digital tools, and applications.”
The list of risks noted in the decision is long, with sources cited including the American Academy of Pediatrics and a federal study that found that, as of December 2023, “one-half of youth ages 12-17 had four or more hours of daily screen time.”
The resolution also notes: “Addictive use of short-form video content – including YouTube and social media – is related to high levels of social anxiety among young people. Earlier age of first use and high frequency of use are strongly associated with emotional and behavioral problems and have a more negative impact on middle school students.”
