Mounting evidence linking excessive screentime to increases in anxiety, depression, attention disruptions, and other mental health conditions is driving educators to examine the costs and benefits of having technology as a centerpiece of students’ educational experience. 

A resolution passed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), among many other restrictions, banned the use of electronic devices for students below second grade and thereafter severely limited screentime for older students, including prohibiting “elementary and middle school student device use during passing periods, lunch, and recess with limited exceptions for teacher-approved school work.” 

This move away from technology, as well as a stated intent to have teachers lean into ”pen and paper assignments,” captures the dilemma faced by school leaders in weighing the point at which the negative impacts of technology begin to outweigh the educational value. There are rumblings throughout the state of California and in other states, including Utah, that reflect similar sentiments to those of the LAUSD.

The move responds to growing parent opposition to heavy screen time and puts L.A. Unified on the leading edge of the anti-screen movement in California — just as the district was when it banned students’ use of cellphones at school. Experts have linked excessive screen time to academic, physical and emotional harm, with the research focusing mainly on screen time outside of schoolwork — time students spend on phones and computers absorbed in gaming and scrolling through videos and social media.

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