Story perspectives

LAUSD Bans Early Screens, Caps Hours for All

6/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

LAUSD Board approved a ban on classroom screens for pre-K through first grade, the nation’s strictest.
It bans screens before second grade, caps grades 2-5 at 60 minutes daily, middle schools at six hours weekly, high schools at ten hours weekly, requiring contract reviews and monitoring software.
Schools will end take-home laptops, use shared carts, and set 20-minute limits for grades 2-3 and 30-minute limits for grades 4-5 beginning November 2026.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Children’s Internet Protection Act in 1996, tying $1.5 billion of E-Rate funding to mandatory school filters, a rule upheld by the Supreme Court in United States v. American Library Ass’n (2003). The law’s precedent guides today’s LAUSD board, which has imposed the nation’s strictest pre-K screen ban, echoing CIPA’s federal-level restrictions.

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Story summary

LAUSD Board approved a ban on classroom screens for pre-K through first grade, the nation’s strictest.
It bans screens before second grade, caps grades 2-5 at 60 minutes daily, middle schools at six hours weekly, high schools at ten hours weekly, requiring contract reviews and monitoring software.
Schools will end take-home laptops, use shared carts, and set 20-minute limits for grades 2-3 and 30-minute limits for grades 4-5 beginning November 2026.

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