Australia’s education ministers are increasingly asking if there is too much screen time in schools.

Phones are already banned or restricted in every public school around the country. And Victoria has announced that from 2027 primary schools will cap classroom device use at 90 minutes a day in Years 3 to 6.

Last week’s NAPLAN results provided another opening for concern. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare wondered whether shortform writing on phones was hampering literacy results. He said state and federal ministers were thinking about moving back to some pen-and-paper NAPLAN exams, instead of doing them online.

He added state and federal ministers were also worried about protecting students’ privacy and how “we make sure that students are learning rather than just relying on an AI prompt”.

These comments flag a reversal of the direction set in 2008, when the Rudd government began providing laptops to high school students. States have added digital devices, platforms and programs ever since.

But the evidence around increased technology use in schools has not been clear-cut. A 2025 OECD review found access to technology on its own does not guarantee any educational gain.

Read more: Victoria wants daily ‘device-free’ time in high schools. What works best for learning?

How much technology is used?

There is no comprehensive national data on how much time Australian children spend on devices at school.

The rules are just as patchy. Phone bans are set at state........

© The Conversation