NSW Sets Daily Screen Limits for Public Schools by Year Level
New South Wales will cap classroom screen time in public schools and require daily pen-and-paper learning.
Kindergarten to Year 2 will be limited to 15 minutes a day on individual devices such as tablets or laptops, Years 3 and 4 to 30 minutes, and Years 5 and 6 to 45 minutes. In Years 7 to 10, personal devices will be limited to a quarter of subject time, and in senior years to half of learning time. The Guardian
Preschoolers will have no screen time under the policy. The Daily Telegraph For school-age students, daily limits will be averaged across the school week, allowing day-to-day variation within the weekly ceiling. Northern Daily Leader
The guidelines also limit screen use for homework, with no screen homework recommended below Year 5. Schools will provide at least one hour a day of pen-and-paper learning. Digital literacy will remain in the curriculum. The Guardian
The limits will be recommended next year and mandatory from 2028, under the plan outlined by Education Minister Prue Car. The Guardian
Looking at what this means for schools, averaging works like a weekly budget. It gives timetables flexibility but is harder to check than a daily stop, so much will depend on lesson planning, device rules, and agreement on what counts as individual device use versus class displays or support technology.
The broader context here is a shift in lesson design, not a technology ban. Keeping digital literacy while limiting personal device time separates learning about technology from learning through a screen. For administrators, the pressure will be scheduling the writing hour, aligning homework rules, and handling the transition.
In my view, the homework threshold will be the most sensitive part. Moving take-home work before Year 5 back to print means reconciling online platforms with family expectations. The phased timeline helps, allowing time to adjust resources, training, and monitoring before advice becomes a requirement.
Looking at what lies ahead, the test will be consistency once recommendation becomes requirement. Clear definitions and light reporting will matter more than device counts.
