Stewart Brown · Research release · October 4, 2026

School technology is getting new limits.

Instructional screens, school-provided devices and student-facing AI. Selected verified actions, with their dates and limits made visible.

The image separates statewide action from district action. It includes future requirements and formal district recommendations; these are not all bans, and the selection is not a national census.

What changed since 2024? Read the historical comparison and its evidence gaps.

Two October 2026 maps: six selected enacted state laws and ten selected district actions concerning school technology. District shading does not mean statewide law. Detailed evidence follows.

Download the release

The workbook and PDF preserve the original release audit. The historical update now verifies LAUSD’s April 2024 under-13 AI prohibition and adds earlier Seattle and Fairfax device evidence. Use the live comparison for these subsequent findings.

Read the evidence behind the image

Enacted laws, proposed rules, district requirements and recommendations remain separate. A blank historical finding is unknown, never a confirmed absence.

AL · State · SCREEN

Act 2026-169 / HB78

Enacted; future effective

Public kindergarten included in early-childhood framework; prohibits passive/background screen media and requires age-appropriate standards. No numeric kindergarten cap in the act.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-03-04
Applies: 2027-01-01; kindergarten local policies by 2027–28

Exceptions: IEP, 504, health plan; required kindergarten tests; approved virtual programs

Read the primary source

Audit note

Separate K–12 screen commission is not a restriction. Signing: https://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2026/03/governor-ivey-signs-screen-time-limits-for-early-childhood-education-programs-into-law/

CA · State · DEVICE

SB1128 / Chapter 191

Enacted; provision applies later

LEAs may not require kindergarten, including TK, to take home school-issued devices.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09-10
Applies: 2027–28 school year

Exceptions: IEP, emergency and independent-study exceptions; not a ban on every take-home device

Read the primary source

Audit note

Final legislature text could not be retrieved; narrow mapped claim relies on official post-signing Senate summary. Governor signing: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/10/governor-newsom-signs-the-strongest-child-safety-chatbot-and-social-media-laws-in-the-nation/

IA · State · SCREEN; DEVICE

HF2676 / Acts Chapter 1129

Enacted

K–5 digital instruction limited to 60 cumulative minutes/day; local technology-use policy; checklist before adoption or renewal of 1:1 programs.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-05-20
Applies: 2026–27 implementation; see DOE FAQ

Exceptions: Assistive/adaptive and IEP/504; teacher displays without student devices; required assessments; dedicated CS/technology curriculum; online programs

Read the primary source

Audit note

Signed act: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.2/CH1129.pdf. A 1:1 adoption checklist is not a 1:1 ban.

OK · State · AI

SB1734

Enacted; effective

Student-facing AI subject to educator direction; parents may opt students out without academic penalty or loss of core content.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-05-12
Applies: 2026-07-01; local policies before 2027–28

Exceptions: Does not prohibit AI generally or require its use

Read the primary source

Audit note

Approval verified in official status: https://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB1734&Session=2600

TN · State · SCREEN

HB2393 / SB2310 / Public Chapter 808

Enacted; effective

LEAs and charters must adopt K–5 instructional-device policies minimizing unnecessary screen time.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-04-21
Applies: 2026-07-01

Exceptions: Targeted interventions; accommodations; assessments; teacher preparation; virtual/homebound/remote instruction

Read the primary source

Audit note

Original proposed device ban was amended. No universal numerical cap in the enacted requirement.

UT · State · SCREEN; AI

HB273

Enacted; policy implementation later

Requires purposeful instructional technology, minimized nonessential screen time and balanced technology/AI policies.

Adoption / announcement: 2026 legislative session
Applies: 2026-07-01; local policies before 2027-07-01

Exceptions: Instructional, accessibility and specialized uses depend on statute and implementing policy

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official USBE summary pp.19 and 44–45. Detailed grade rules are recorded separately below; not presented as operational.

UT · State · SCREEN; DEVICE; AI

Proposed R277-334

Proposed implementing rule

Proposed K–3 screen restrictions; K–6 no required 1:1 or take-home devices; older-grade consent; approved AI rules.

Adoption / announcement: Notice 2026-09-01
Applies: Earliest anticipated 2026-10-08, NOT an effective date

Exceptions: CS, testing, subject-integral technology, virtual instruction, tribal provider, IEP/504 and other listed exceptions

Read the primary source

Audit note

Bulletin pp.57–64 (PDF pp.63–70). Enacted HB273 and proposed rule are distinct records.

NY · State · SCREEN; DEVICE

S10685 / FOCUS Act

Active bill; in Rules Committee

Would restrict younger-grade internet-enabled devices, favor carts/labs and require caregiver opt-in for assigned devices in older grades.

Adoption / announcement: Introduced 2026-08-21
Applies: Not law

Exceptions: Proposed statutory exemptions; not operational

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official page explicitly marks ACTIVE. Do not treat NYC policy as state law.

NC · State · SCREEN; DEVICE

S948 / Screen Free Schools Act

Bill in Appropriations/Base Budget; not enacted

Proposes instructional screen limits and parent options for reduced or no device use.

Adoption / announcement: Introduced 2026-04-30
Applies: Not law

Exceptions: See filed bill; no operational requirement

Read the primary source

Audit note

Last action 2026-05-04. Appropriations bill in 2025–26 session; pending classification is not a prediction of passage. Text: https://www.ncleg.gov/sessions/2025/bills/senate/html/s948v1.html

FL · State · AI

Rule 6A-1.0957 AI amendment

Board-adopted; effective date not verified

Adopted amendment addresses parental choice, younger learners and bans companion-style AI in classrooms.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09-16 board adoption
Applies: Not verified in force at cutoff

Exceptions: Educational uses subject to age-appropriate review; non-AI alternatives

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official FAC record still shows 2023 as latest final rule, with Sep18,2026 change notice: https://flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=6A-1.0957 . Shown separately from laws; do not call operative.

CA · District · SCREEN; DEVICE

Los Angeles Unified

Adopted; phased implementation

Early education–grade 1 default zero screen minutes and no individual assigned device; grade caps and take-home defaults in implementation matrix.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-04-21 resolution
Applies: EE–grade 1 Aug. 2026; grades 2–5 Nov. 2026; grades 6–12 Jan. 2027

Exceptions: Required assessments, IEP, Virtual Academy; instructional exemptions and parental options in matrix

Read the primary source

Audit note

Map uses verified screen/device action. Reported 2026 AI moratorium is not used as a verified map claim.

CA · District · SCREEN; DEVICE

Beverly Hills Unified

Adopted

TK–2 no assigned 1:1 devices; technology limited to assessments, teacher-led activities and required accommodations.

Adoption / announcement: Announced 2026-07-15
Applies: 2026–27 framework

Exceptions: Teacher-led activities, required assessments, legal accommodations; later grades expand technology/AI literacy

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official release describes later AI-literacy work; do not equate literacy with permission for unrestricted AI use.

CA · District · SCREEN; DEVICE

San Diego Unified

Adopted; implementation announced

Removes TK computer carts; developmentally appropriate use changes; student-direct YouTube access restricted.

Adoption / announcement: 2026 board action; official update Aug3
Applies: 2026-08-10 school year start

Exceptions: Teachers can show/embed videos; disability and language-learning exceptions

Read the primary source

Audit note

Map inclusion rests on TK device change, not generic filtering alone.

NY · District · SCREEN; DEVICE; AI

New York City Public Schools

Adopted; 2026–27 guidance

2K–8 student-facing GenAI moratorium; 2K–2 no 1:1 screen use; grades 3–5 recommended 30 min/day, grades 6–8 recommended 45 min/day.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09 announcement
Applies: 2026–27 school year

Exceptions: Assistive technology/accommodations; tests, coding, robotics, simulations and other approved educational uses

Read the primary source

Audit note

All high-school students also assigned two 45-minute AI-literacy modules. Recommendations are not absolute caps; high-school AI access remains restricted to approved uses.

GA · District · SCREEN

Marietta City Schools

Board resolution adopted; implementation developing

Screens closed by default and opened with purpose; no screen use for behavior management; age-appropriate technology/AI expectations.

Adoption / announcement: Official announcement 2026-07-15
Applies: 2026–27 strategy and phased implementation

Exceptions: Purposeful teacher-directed instructional use; not a universal minute cap

Read the primary source

Audit note

Resolution direction is distinguished from completed implementation.

PA · District · DEVICE

East Penn School District

Announced district policy

Elementary district devices and chargers remain at school; student-device YouTube removed.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-08-18
Applies: 2026–27 school year

Exceptions: Teacher use of video remains possible; accommodations governed separately

Read the primary source

Audit note

2024 source: https://www.eastpennsd.org/article/east-penn-adopts-policy-on-ai-use-for-student-learning/

WA · District · SCREEN; DEVICE

Seattle Public Schools

Announced; future implementation

K–2 moves from assigned 1:1 iPads to shared classroom devices; generally 0–30 minutes/day.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09-21
Applies: 2027-01-04

Exceptions: Approved instruction and required accommodations; screen use is not required

Read the primary source

Audit note

Future date explicitly marked in image. Current announcement is not evidence change already occurred.

VA · District · DEVICE; AI

Fairfax County Public Schools

Board action adopted

No FCPS-issued tablets/laptops in pre-K and kindergarten; student GenAI unavailable in elementary; secondary use needs principal authorization pending policy.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-07-16
Applies: Fall 2026

Exceptions: Required accommodations; authorization provisions for secondary uses

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official board-member bulletin. Further proposed changes discussed in meetings are not treated as adopted.

FL · District · AI

Broward County Public Schools

Policy adopted; current tool restrictions

Only approved student AI tools; no student-facing AI tool currently approved for K–5; secondary tools limited to approved uses.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09-15
Applies: Current district AI hub at cutoff

Exceptions: Teacher-led lessons about AI differ from students interacting directly with AI

Read the primary source

Audit note

Primary hub links policy7540.08. Current approved-tool list governs; older snippets mentioning a broader rollout are not used.

TX · District · SCREEN

Dallas ISD

Implemented district guidelines; recommended limits

Daily recommendations: preK–2 60min; grades 3–5 90min; grades 6–8 120min.

Adoption / announcement: 2026-09-01
Applies: 2026–27

Exceptions: High-school use varies with academic pathways; teacher-led instruction emphasized

Read the primary source

Audit note

Official article calls these recommendations despite a quoted reference to strict limits. Image does not label them enforceable caps.

Open research, open corrections

This resource asks what technology schools restrict or govern, and what they teach children to understand about it. Robert Dickson’s public research trackers helped inspire making the research available. The classifications and findings here are independently developed.

Suggest a correction or primary source