The New South Wales (NSW) government has announced limits on screen use in public school classrooms, alongside a push for students to spend at least an hour each day on traditional pen-and-paper learning.
Under the proposed rules, Kindergarten to Year 2 students will be limited to 15 minutes a day of learning on individual devices such as laptops and tablets. The cap will rise to 30 minutes for Years 3 and 4 and 45 minutes for Years 5 and 6.
For secondary students, screen use will be linked to classroom subjects. Students in Years 7 to 10 will be allowed to use personal digital devices for up to 25% of subject time, while senior students can use them for up to half of their learning time.
The government will also introduce guidelines aimed at reducing screen-based homework, including a recommendation against assigning such work to children below Year 5.
The new screen limits will be recommended from next year and are expected to become mandatory across NSW public schools from 2028.
NSW Education Minister Prue Car said government research indicated that excessive screen use was becoming a concern and that technology should be used purposefully rather than becoming the default mode of learning.
“We have a responsibility to ensure their health and education isn’t impacted by excessive screen use,” Car said, noting concerns over declining reading and writing skills among students.
The policy will not remove digital learning from classrooms. The government said digital literacy will remain part of the curriculum, while the new measures are intended to reduce the cumulative impact of screen exposure on students’ learning and development.
The move follows similar efforts in Victoria and comes amid growing calls from teacher and parent groups for schools to reduce students’ dependence on digital devices.
