LA Schools Ban Screen Time for Young Students Amid Teacher Concerns

New Policy, Immediate Impact

Starting this week, the Los Angeles Unified School District is banning screen time for younger students and significantly limiting it for older kids. Screen time will be banned for students in early education, kindergarten and first grade, with phased implementation beginning in August 2026. Students in grades two and three will be allotted up to 20 minutes of screen time per day under the updated guidelines, for a maximum of 100 minutes total per week, including homework assignments, with implementation beginning in November 2026.

Grades six through eight will have a maximum limit of 60 minutes of screen time per subject, per week under the new policy, with homework included. Many districts and a growing number of states have passed similar limits this year, but the rapid roll out in Los Angeles for teachers and the district's more than 400,000 students is unique.

Why This Matters for Teachers and Families

Teachers in Los Angeles report significant challenges. One teacher stated the new policy "is going to be a big impact," noting that "about 75% of our work was on some kind of screen-based activity." The rapid implementation—starting mid-school-year—means educators must redesign lessons and find alternatives to digital tools that many have relied on for years.

For families settling in Los Angeles with school-age children, this is a major operational change. If you have children in LAUSD schools, expect reduced digital assignments, more hands-on or paper-based work, and the need to support learning without screens at home. Teachers and parents are still adjusting, so communication with schools about homework expectations will be important.

Sources

• NPR — The school year begins in LA with one big change: limited screen time
• ABC News — LA school district approves new screen time limits for students