Media Contact
With the Los Angeles Unified School District setting one of the strictest screen time policies in the nation, New York state continues to consider a similar ban on screens in school learning for its youngest students.
Kimberly Kopko
Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension
Kimberly Kopko is an expert in child development at Cornell University who has researched the importance of play in education.
Kopko says:
“Governor Hochul’s recent announcement of considering imposing limits on screen time for younger children in New York schools will potentially extend the impacts of the smartphone ban and further reduce technology in classrooms for younger students. Doing so would follow an emerging trend—for example, Sweden is moving away from digital devices in classrooms and going back to physical books and paper/pens, with younger ages not using screens at all.
“A significant point of Governor Hochul’s consideration is the age group, as research on the mobile phone ban finds different results for middle and high school students, indicating a potential age effect.
“As with cell phone bans, it will be important to prioritize those activities that promote positive learning outcomes in place of screen-based learning such as increasing play-based learning and student time with teachers. In other words, educators will want to ensure the activities that take the place of screen time learning are based on research on how children learn and on developmental principles that promote positive outcomes for this younger age group."
