{"id":343385,"date":"2026-09-11T00:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343385\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T00:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:24:11","slug":"young-nyc-school-children-prepare-for-a-new-classroom-experience-with-less-screen-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343385\/","title":{"rendered":"Young NYC school children prepare for a new classroom experience with less screen time"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City students returning to class on Thursday found themselves bracing for a bold new world with limited screen time under the Department of Education\u2019s new effort to cut down on younger children\u2019s use of electronic devices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While most of the debate around Mayor Mamdani\u2019s education technology policy has so far focused on a one-year pause on student use of artificial intelligence until high school, the rules announced last week<\/a> also restrict the use of personal devices, such as Chromebooks, through 2nd grade.<\/p>\n

Local officials recommended daily limits on screen time of 30 minutes for grades 3 to 5, and 45 minutes for middle schools as well.<\/p>\n

Cell phones were already banned in public schools<\/a> under state law last school year.<\/p>\n

On the first day of school, students, parents and teachers broadly agreed with the push for less screen time \u2014 but questioned what that means, practically speaking, for the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, when we use the computers, it was really fun,\u201d said Yasmina, a sixth grader at P.S.\/I.S. 206 in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. \u201cBut my eyes did kind of hurt. I felt tired. And I guess it helps to use devices less so I can focus more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Priscilla, her schoolmate, said she also feels the physical signs of too much screen use: \u201cI like to be online, but also I feel like after a little bit, I would start getting headaches,\u201d she said. \u201cI like using it for research and tests, but for reading, I don\u2019t really like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actual copy is better, because you can actually feel the book,\u201d added Zay, another one of their peers.<\/p>\n

\"P.S\/I.S.P.S\/I.S. 206 students Zay, Yasmina and Priscilla are pictured at their Brooklyn school on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, the first day back to classes. (Cayla Bamberger \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, agreed with the limits on ed-tech in the classroom. But he noted that some kids have more access to technology at home than others<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students, we know, are going to be tested on screens. Their standardized tests are on screens. Most of the curriculum that the Department of Ed is supplying to schools, their assessments are on screens,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to do well on the assessment<\/a> itself if (the technology) is not something they\u2019re comfortable with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mulgrew has already started hearing from elementary school teachers on the issue, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Are we supposed to keep a clock and keep a log on how many minutes each kid\u2019s on the screen?’\u201d Mulgrew asked. \u201cThey made an announcement, but the Department of Ed hasn\u2019t come out with actual guidelines towards the schools \u2014 so that\u2019s a big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you put a number on this, then you\u2019re telling people they have to monitor the time. That becomes a whole task in itself, and that all takes away from instruction,\u201d Mulgrew added. \u201cThat\u2019s what we don\u2019t want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels told reporters the daily limits on screen time should be used as a \u201cbroad guidepost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are recommendations, and so, the idea is not to go around and say, \u2018You\u2019re at 31 minutes,’\u201d Samuels said. \u201cThe idea is: \u2018What\u2019s the spirit of (reducing) screen time?\u2019 We have to decrease the number of minutes our young people are on screens<\/a>, and that\u2019s the purpose of policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NewNew York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels is pictured at P.S\/I.S. 206 in Brooklyn on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, the first day back to school. (Cayla Bamberger \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Joshua Walshver, a sixth-grade math special education teacher at P.S.\/I.S. 206, did not expect his lesson plans to be impacted by the new policy. Most of his screen use with students is limited to presentations, required-curriculum workbooks<\/a>, and diagnostic and supplemental programs<\/a> for a maximum of 30 minutes per week.<\/p>\n

But Walshver supports the push to reduce screen time in the classroom, even if he sometimes wishes it could be extended to the home too.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents are at home on their screens probably from the time they leave (school) until who knows what time,\u201d Walshver said. \u201cI\u2019ve asked some students, \u2018Could you do your homework?\u2019 (They said) \u2018Yeah, I was supposed to do it at 10 o\u2019clock after I finished my Fortnite game, and I fell asleep.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA student is pictured at P.S\/I.S. 206 in Brooklyn on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, the first day back to school. (Cayla Bamberger \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Barrett, a fifth grader at P.S. 19 The East Village Community School in Manhattan, is conflicted about screens in the classroom, which he said he used for writing and not for video games.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn a bit faster with them, but it\u2019s sort of mixed because (of the damage to) our eyesight,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cThere\u2019s a good side and a bad side. The good side is that it\u2019s a tiny bit more eco-friendly because it\u2019s helping save the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mom, Maura, also sees both sides of the argument.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a bad idea. I don\u2019t think they overused them last year. I think in some ways, it enables certain kids to go at their own pace, which could potentially be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the way of the world is kids are already very adept at screens, and they will continue to need to be,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think certain kids probably need more guardrails than others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City students returning to class on Thursday found themselves bracing for a bold new world with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[67,85,267,9,24,264,12,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-343385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-education","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-county","tag-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}