Ban screens in early childhood education

National says it will ban screen use in early childhood education and set strict limits on their use in primary school.

“Young children are spending increasingly longer on screens, at the same time as the evidence tells us we should be cautious about excessive use,” National education spokeswoman Erica Stanford said.

“For younger children, we want to place greater emphasis on books, handwriting, conversation, hands-on activities and direct interaction with teachers and other children.

“In ECE, that means ending screen and individual-device use. In Years 1 to 3, screen use will be tightly limited, with age-appropriate limits also introduced for older primary students.”