Los Angeles Becomes First Large School District in the U.S. to Require Restrictions on Classroom Screen Time

The resolution passed in a public meeting with 6 votes in favor, 0 against, and 1 abstention, requiring the district to develop specific screen time policies for different grades and subjects, prohibiting the use of electronic devices for students in first grade and below, and clearly outlining a procedure for parents to apply for an “opt-out” from using campus electronic devices, while also conducting an audit of existing educational technology contracts. Nick Melvoin, a school board member and the initiator of the resolution, stated that as one of the largest school districts in the U.S., Los Angeles has a responsibility to “draw a line” in how campus technology is used and to promote a societal discussion on the matter.

This policy shift comes after months of sustained pressure from parents. A group of parents spontaneously formed an organization called “Schools Beyond Screens” to voice their concerns at school board meetings, on social media, and through district forums and private meetings with administrators and board members, reporting numerous problems their children were experiencing after being required to use school-issued Chromebooks and iPads daily. Parents previously told the media that their children’s grades had noticeably declined due to distractions from playing electronic games, watching YouTube videos, and browsing social media and online forums in class. Some teachers also complained that some middle schools dedicated one day a week for students to complete online math and reading tests, disrupting the normal teaching of other subjects such as physical education, music, and science.

“This is a historic reform, and we hope it will create a ripple effect across the country very quickly,” said Anya Meksin, a mother of two and the vice president of “Schools Beyond Screens.” She explained that the organization has approximately 2,000 members locally in Los Angeles and believes this marks an important “cultural shift” in how schools approach technology.

According to the resolution, the district must submit detailed screen time policies to the school board by June of this year, with plans for full implementation in the 2026-2027 school year. The related policies require a significant restriction on the use of electronic devices by elementary and middle school students during lunch and recess, and prohibit students from actively searching for and watching content such as YouTube videos.

This resolution is seen as a significant “course correction” for the second-largest school district in the U.S. in the area of educational technology. In recent years, the Los Angeles district has steadily increased its investment in educational technology (ed tech), with former Superintendent Alberto Carvalho being a strong advocate for this direction. However, in February of this year, Carvalho was suspended after the FBI searched his home and office in Los Angeles, with the investigation reportedly focusing on a company that received a $3 million contract from the district to develop an AI chatbot for serving students, but the final product was reportedly almost unusable. Through his attorney, Carvalho denied any wrongdoing and has not yet been charged.

At several school board meetings last fall, facing complaints from parents about “excessive screen time,” Carvalho publicly responded, calling these concerns a “newly informed privilege reaction” and insisting that providing students with devices was a measure of educational equity. He stated at the time that there was indeed a problem of “digital tool addiction” in the U.S., but that “schools are not the cause, nor even close to being the primary cause,” and emphasized that parental responsibility was an important part of the issue. The district defended the use of Chromebooks and iPads in the classroom in a statement this week, stating that these devices have played a positive role in improving teaching effectiveness, and that management has consistently guided schools to focus on “how technology meaningfully supports learning, not just usage time.” The statement also said that providing devices to all students is a “core strategy” for achieving educational equity, helping to close the gap caused by differences in income, geography, ability, and family resources, allowing all students to participate in “modern learning.”

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, interim Superintendent Andrés Chávez gave a positive assessment of the resolution. Approximately forty parents were present to observe, many wearing “Schools Beyond Screens” stickers and holding small signs with slogans such as “Teachers Over Tech” and “Relationships = Results”; the meeting room erupted in applause when the voting results were announced.

Driven by parents, a grassroots movement has emerged across the U.S. in recent months, calling for reduced reliance on technology in classrooms, coinciding with schools across the country implementing bans on cell phones. Organized parent alliances have emerged in various locations, demanding that school districts tighten policies on “one-to-one” computing, a practice that is now very common in the vast majority of schools. Some parents are requesting that their children be allowed to complete classroom assignments without using electronic devices at all; a review conducted by the media found that at least 16 state legislatures have introduced bills related to restricting screen time or internet use on campus this year.

Outside of Los Angeles, some smaller school districts—including Beverly Hills, California, Bend, Oregon, and Burke County, North Carolina—have already passed similar policies, promoting a return to “analog” forms of homework such as paper and pencil. However, Los Angeles is the first large city and large school district nationwide to gain prominence in the backlash against “excessive screen time” from parents.

Melvoin and co-proposer school board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin stated that they decided to push for the resolution after meeting with members of the “Schools Beyond Screens” parent alliance and witnessing firsthand the scenes of kindergarten children all staring at iPads and teenagers hunched over Chromebooks on high school campuses. “Let’s show young people that adults are also learning and will adjust those rules and regulations that affect their learning when necessary,” Ortiz Franklin said in an interview.

According to the resolution, the Los Angeles Unified School District administration will annually evaluate the related policies in the future and distribute questionnaires to students, parents, and staff to assess their effectiveness. The district must also establish a system to record the amount of time students spend using electronic devices and specific software on campus, and regularly publish relevant data reports to parents.