NSW to limit classroom screen use to as little as 15 minutes per day
Education Minister Prue Car announced a new policy capping student screen time to 15 minutes daily for early grades, aiming to improve reading and writing outcomes.
Education Minister Prue Car unveiled a statewide initiative to curb classroom screen time, beginning next year with a 15-minute daily limit for students in kindergarten through Year 2. The policy will gradually expand, allowing 45 minutes for Years 5-6 and eventually up to a quarter of lesson time for Years 7-10 and half for Years 11-12. Schools must also ensure pupils spend at least one hour each day writing with pen and paper, and parents are urged to limit digital devices for homework, particularly before Year 5.
The government cites the recent PISA assessment, which recorded Australia’s lowest ever reading and numeracy scores and identified a quarter of NSW students as low performers in maths. Officials argue that excessive screen exposure distracts learners and contributes to the decline in literacy and numeracy, prompting the new guidelines to be introduced next year and become mandatory by 2028.
Why it matters
Limiting screen time aims to reverse declining literacy and numeracy scores among NSW students.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same policy details, but left-leaning coverage highlights the PISA assessment and low reading and numeracy scores as the impetus, while right-leaning coverage stresses research on teenage screen time and declining reading and writing skills.
LEFT
Frames the limits as a response to poor PISA results and low academic performance.
RIGHT
Frames the limits as a reaction to research linking excessive screen time to falling literacy skills.
The left emphasises
- cites the recent PISA assessment showing Australia’s lowest ever reading and numeracy scores
- notes a quarter of NSW students are low performers in maths
- argues excessive screen exposure distracts learners
The right emphasises
- references research showing teenagers spending up to seven hours on screens
- links high screen use to declines in reading and writing skills
- mentions exemptions for students with disabilities, language needs, or personalized digital learning plans
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