Question: Is there guidance on the amount of screen time a child should have at school? I've seen articles that talk about limiting non-educational screen time, but I'm wondering what guidelines schools might use, especially as technology often makes learning more accessible to certain groups of students, and with the increased focus on AI in education.

 

Answer: Thank you for your question! While many parents feel comfortable monitoring the amount of non-educational screen time their child gets at home, they may not know how much their child is using technology – for learning or for fun – in school.  
 
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, most (90%) of U.S. public schools have enough laptops or tablet devices for every child in their school. As the Department of Education noted in its 2024 report A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides. 2024 National Educational Technology Plan: “Because school systems deployed so much technology on an emergency basis without the benefit of thoughtful planning, change management, or in the service of shared goals, many school systems are struggling to make the most of these new technologies.” As pediatricians, we have talked to parents concerned that their child is watching funny videos or playing games on their school-issued device during instructional or break times – which is not the reason school districts invested in technology!

Are there Screen Time Guidelines for school?  

The short answer is no. Rather than focusing on time, the Department of Education stresses the importance of active versus passive use of technology.   

  • Active Use involves critical thinking and includes activities such as coding, immersive simulations, media production, interaction with experts, making global connections, design, and peer collaboration. 
  • Passive Use includes activities such as filling out digital worksheets or consuming digital content without accompanying reflection, imagination, or participation. 

As you can see, the Department of Education recommends that schools build curricula and training approaches that allow students to engage in more active technology use at school, while minimizing passive use. We searched multiple other US-based educational organizations, and none provided specific time-limit recommendations. 

How do students benefit from technology in school?  

As you mentioned, tech in classrooms can make education and teaching techniques more inclusive. For students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or hearing/visual impairments, assistive technologies on laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, or phones can provide augmented learning tools. For example: 

  • Children with dyslexia benefit from audiobooks that they can listen to while reading passages.  
  • Voice-to-text technologies help children who struggle with fine motor control and note-taking.  
  • Children with specific learning disabilities may benefit from practicing math or reading skills on a well-designed ed tech product.  

An older review of research on school-issued devices in school settings found benefits of educational technology on: 1) student achievement when laptops are used with evidence-based math and reading programs, 2) creation of multimedia presentations and access to data analysis programs. This fits with the Department of Education’s definition of active technology use- where the technology is intentionally used to augment instruction.  

Other than time, what matters? 

Let’s think this through based on the 5 Cs of Media Use – our Center’s approach for encouraging healthy and meaningful media use that doesn’t get in the way of other activities.  

  • Child: Edtech can help to accommodate more learning styles depending on the needs of the child. By providing assistive apps and tailored instruction, it can help children advance their academic skills and increase inclusion.  
  • Content: Edtech needs to be designed positively, based on evidence that it really works to help children learn. Devices should block access to age-inappropriate content, gaming or social media sites.  
  • Calm: Technology should not be used as a method for calming children’s emotions. Other coping strategies can be taught through social-emotional learning approaches and time with a psychologist, social worker, or social skills group. 
  • Crowding Out: Ensure that edtech in the classroom (as well as personal device use) is not displacing other opportunities for children to learn skills that can be better taught by doing hands-on activities or having social interactions.  
  • Communication: Teachers can communicate with parents/caregivers about why they are using technology in their lessons and how it helps their child's learning. By setting clear expectations for how and when school-issued devices should be used, teachers can help students learn to self-regulate their media use and recognize when media is becoming a distraction. If students are struggling to transition away from technology at school, teachers and parents can work out a plan for more pencil-and-paper classwork.

Recommendations & resources for educators 

  • This article from Common Sense Media helps teachers be intentional about tech use and to evaluate how tech augments their curriculum versus becomes a distraction.  
  • The EdTech Triangle is a research-based model for healthy classroom tech use. This framework helps teachers and administrators embrace best practices with tech in the classroom. Within this framework, edtech is split up into four different categories: transformative (produces a unique outcome or develops a high-level skill), supportive (supports learning in helpful ways; use in moderation), restrictive (restricts learning outcomes; use sparingly), and disruptive (disrupts learning and/or breeds habitual use; avoid using). Educators can use this framework to evaluate their use of tech and help parents and children with screen use in academic settings.  
  • Setting Conditions for Success: Creating Effective Responsible Use Policies in Schools is a guide for establishing Responsible Use Policies (RUPs) for families and students. RUPs are signed at the beginning of the school year to indicate all parties’ understanding of how to use school-issued accounts and devices within the digital culture of the school. 
    • Does the platform have features to enhance students’ comprehension? 
    • Does it have accessibility options for a range of learners? 
  • Whatever the phone policy is in your school or classroom, help students become more strategic about their usage by considering the following activities: 
    • Develop clear classroom routines for devices, and if you use them for instruction, set clear expectations around their purpose and usage 
    • Help inform students about the pros and cons of screen use 
    • Teach students about ways to increase productivity and focus using strategies like the Pomodoro technique 
    • Have students design a classroom experiment on the challenges of multitasking, or collectively count the flood of everyone’s phone notifications

Learning modules & further reading materials 

References  

 

 

 

 

Age: 5-17 

Topics: screen time in schools, educational technology, school phone policies, school-issued devices, 1:1 devices, educational vs. non-educational screen time 

Role: Educator 

Last Updated

03/13/2025

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics