LA Schools Launch Screen-Time Limits as New Year Begins
The nation's second-largest school district bans screens for first grade and under while phasing in limits for older students throughout the year.
Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest, has begun enforcing new screen-time limits as the 2026 school year opens, banning screens entirely for first grade and under and gradually rolling out restrictions for older students.
The school board passed the resolution this spring. Elementary students beyond first grade will face limits starting in November, with middle and high school restrictions following later in the year.
For teachers like Armaghan Khan, who has built much of his science curriculum at Johnnie L. Cochran Middle School around screen-based tools such as car crash simulators, the shift is significant. "This is going to be a big impact for me," he said, estimating that about 75% of his instruction relied on screens. Khan said the district gave little guidance ahead of the rollout: "I don't feel like I'm being set up for success."
Pia Sadaqatmal, the district's new chief academic officer overseeing the policy, acknowledged the rollout isn't flawless. "There is no perfect solution on how to roll out to a school district the size of ours," she said, calling this a transition year. LAUSD serves more than 400,000 students.
School-issued tablets and computers will run software tracking weekly screen use, though it won't shut devices off once limits are reached. Instead, the district will review the data at year's end to refine the policy. Virtual textbooks and some other tools are exempt.
An earlier version of the story incorrectly said the tracking software would be installed on students' personal devices; it applies only to school-issued equipment.
Teachers say questions remain about what should fill the gap. Kirti Baranwal, a teacher librarian at William Jefferson Clinton Middle School, said a cellphone ban last year didn't stop many students from reporting 8 to 10 hours of daily screen use. "I think generally screen time limits are good," she said, but added that without alternatives like sports or arts programs, "what is it that we want kids doing?"
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