Overview
- Education Minister Prue Car announced the policy on Sunday, September 13, 2026, with a phased rollout from the start of 2027 and mandatory implementation in 2028.
- The government prescribes daily or subject caps that start at 15 minutes a day for kindergarten to Year 2, rise to 30 minutes for Years 3–4 and 45 minutes for Years 5–6, and allow digital work up to 25 percent of class time in Years 7–10 and up to 50 percent in Years 11–12.
- The guidelines require at least one hour a day of pen-and-paper learning, advise against screen-based homework before Year 5, and ask parents to limit device use on homework tasks.
- Officials cite the 2025 PISA and recent NAPLAN declines and government-commissioned research that links high classroom screen use to distraction, poorer sustained reading, reduced sleep and less physical activity, a view publicly supported by NSW Health paediatrician Helen Goodwin.
- The policy allows tailored exemptions for students with disability, additional learning needs or individual digital plans, and follows similar steps taken by Victoria with schools given time to change teaching practice and classroom routines.