CoSN is excited to release our latest resource on Screen Time and Purposeful Technology Policies & Guidance.
Offering a quality-over-quantity framework, the resource is built around three principles that CoSN recommends anchor local education technology policies:
- Centered on Learning: Education technology should be used only when it strengthens, extends, personalizes, or makes learning more accessible.
- Students Are Protected Online: School-issued devices should operate within district-managed systems that include cybersecurity, content filtering, privacy protections, and other safeguards.
- Locally Led: Education technology decisions should reflect the unique needs, priorities, and circumstances of individual communities.
The guide also defines different categories of technology use, explains how expectations should evolve from early childhood through high school, and provides tools educators can use to determine whether technology is the right choice for a lesson. It also helps districts comply with minutes-based mandates and communicate clearly about what their current systems can and cannot measure.
Additional sections address the technical and staffing demands associated with parent oversight provisions, required exceptions for assistive technology and other legally protected uses, and the potential consequences of blanket restrictions on district-managed education technology, such as workforce readiness gaps and barriers for students with disabilities.
Finally, the guide includes a policy alignment crosswalk to help districts incorporate screen time expectations into board policies, administrative regulations, instructional guidance, professional learning, and family communications without conflicting with existing policies. Taking the recommendations a step further, the guide provides ready-to-adapt materials, such as sample board policy language, family and staff communication templates, and more.
