LAUSD prepares to implement strict limits on students' screen time

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Unified School District students return to class next week, and the district will face a new challenge in implementing some of the most strict screen time limitations for students in the country.

The sweeping new policy was approved earlier this year for the nation's second-largest school district. It will be fully implemented by the start of 2027.

Students will not be allowed any screen time until they are in the second grade. Starting in November, second and third graders will be limited to 20 minutes of screen time a day, while students in fourth and fifth grade will be allowed 30 minutes a day.

Come January, middle school students will be allowed one hour of screen time per course per week. That bumps up to one and a half hours for high school students.

"On Aug. 12, you may not necessary see in the immediate all of the changes that the policy calls for but they will be implemented methodically and transparently," said Superintendent Andrés E. Chait.

The new policy has drawn some controversy, with parents who are supportive of it and others who have their reservations.

Fourth grade teacher Dylan Elliott told Eyewitness News the benefits of screens in school outweigh the bad.

His students use their devices for writing, revising, giving and receiving feedback, working on group projects and taking assessments.

"I looked at it as... a misguided attempt to fix what I see as a very understandable concern that a lot of parents have," Elliott said. "We're in 2026. Students are going to have to learn to use devices responsibly because that is what their life will be like moving forward.

Meanwhile, some critics of the new policy argue it will impact students who don't have access to computers or technology at home.

These screen time limitations are in addition to the cell phone ban that was implemented by the LAUSD last year.

City News Service contributed to this report.