National

Primary school students to get 90-minute screen limit

By AAP Newswire

Oct 16, 2025

ONLINE SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA BAN STOCK — Victorian public primary schools will be required to limit digital device use in the classroom. -AAP Image

Primary school students will be limited to 90 minutes of screen time in classrooms in a state government bid to reduce overexposure and keep children focused.

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From 2027, Victorian public primary schools will be required to limit digital device use in the classroom to a maximum of 90 minutes for students in years 3 to 6 and minimal device time for those in prep to year 2.

Schools will be supported through the changes with new guidance and materials distributed in term 1 in 2026, ensuring kids continue to learn essential digital literacy skills while reducing distractions.

The directive means parents will no longer be required to buy digital devices for their children, with schools to provide access to tablets and laptops in the classrooms, saving households more than $500 per child.

Any additional devices will be funded through each school's budgets, with Education Minister Ben Carroll noting there is consistently a bank of laptops in schools.

"This is a really important circuit breaker by focusing in the classroom on the teacher and less time on screens," he told reporters on Thursday.

"This will actually give young people more focus in the classroom, better concentration levels, better regulation in the classroom. But more than that, it will help provide and give them their childhoods back."

Mr Carroll said surveys his government had previously done showed students were spending a minimum of two hours a day on devices in the classroom, and four hours at home.

"There are studies that are showing that kids today are behind screens for some six hours a day, leading to all sorts of social issues, behavioural issues, cognitive development," he said.

Premier Jacinta Allan said parents and teachers around the globe were facing a "daily challenge" of managing kids' screen time.

"We know these devices can be a real distraction," she said at state parliament.

"Every parent knows this but so too do teachers."

Neither the premier nor her deputy provided a cost estimate for the laptops and tablets policy when asked.

The changes will be gradually phased in and coincide with the federal government's social media ban for users under 16, which kicks in from December 10.

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are among the platforms included in the restrictions.

The social media giants must take reasonable steps to detect underage users and prevent under-16s accessing the platforms, as well as provide an accessible complaints process for users or risk fines of up to $50 million.

Victoria led the nation when it banned public school students from using their phones at school in 2020 to tackle cyberbullying and distraction in the classroom.