SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools is expanding its restrictions on classroom technology, setting new screen-time limits for elementary students and blocking access to several popular apps and websites on student devices.
The changes expand on guidance the district first rolled out for kindergarten through second-grade students in September. Superintendent Ben Shuldiner says the district is now extending that guidance to students in third through fifth grade while taking a closer look at how devices are being used during the school day.
Under the new rules, students in grades three through five will be limited to one hour of screen time per day.
Shuldiner says the one-hour limit came after conversations with teachers and principals, who felt that amount of time was enough to support classroom lessons without cutting into hands-on learning.
In a letter to families, he said that hour can add up quickly throughout a typical school day. The district provided an example of how a student could spend 20 minutes using a device for English, 15 minutes on an interactive math project, 15 minutes on a science simulation, and 10 minutes watching a history video. Together, those activities would reach the full one-hour limit.
The district is also blocking YouTube, Google’s Gemini AI, and Minecraft on student computers after hearing concerns about students using the programs inappropriately or during classroom downtime.
Educators are also being told that laptops and iPads should not be used as rewards, incentives, or simply as something for students to do during free time.
Shuldiner says the issue became apparent during his visits to more than 100 schools, where he saw too many devices being used for activities that had nothing to do with the curriculum.
Families can continue the conversation during an SPS board meeting taking place at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence on Monday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m.