SUMMARY

The nation’s second-largest school district imposed strict new limits on screen time for its roughly 400,000 students. The Los Angeles Unified School District policy is the latest example of a growing backlash against technology in classrooms nationwide. William Brangham discussed the new rules and the rationale behind them with Nick Melvoin, a member of the Los Angeles School Board.

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NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

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WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Nick Melvoin, and what role did he play in creating the new screen time limits for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)?
2. What global event increased student overreliance on technology?
3. When (in what grade) will students in Los Angeles be able to start using technology in classrooms?
4. Where did Melvoin begin his teaching career and what "digital divide" did he notice?
5. How many hours can middle school students spend on screens per week in LAUSD classrooms? What about high school students?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect education? Do you think it led to technology being overused in classrooms?
2. Do you think the LAUSD screen time limits will be effective? What are the pros and cons of the new rules?

Media literacy: Take a look at this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) graphic displaying the incredible amount of time children aged 8-10 spend on screens and recommendations for what they could do with that time instead. Then, answer the following questions.

1. Of the time you spend on screens, what percent is 'harmful screen time' (televison, social media, video games) and what percent is educational screen time?
2. How much time per day do you think children aged 8-10 should spend on screens? What about students your age?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Using the limits implemented in Los Angeles as a baseline, students can create their own set of screen time rules they think should be used in their own school district. Be sure to include:

a) What grade screens should be introduced into classrooms

b) What type of technology should be used (e.g. Smart boards, iPads, Chromebooks)

c) How many hours per week elementary, middle and high school students should be allowed to spend on screens

d) How these rules should be enforced/monitored

If you are passionate about your proposal, try to schedule a meeting with your principal or another authority figure at your school to discuss your ideas.

Written by PBS News Hour Classroom's Intern Henry Mode and Vic Pasquantonio.

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