NSW schools are being pushed to rethink how digital devices are used in class, with new Macquarie University-led research raising concerns about distraction and students’ ability to regulate screen use.
Just 53% of teachers agreed digital devices helped students learn, while 27% were neutral and 20% disagreed.
The findings come as NSW prepares to introduce tighter screen limits in public schools from 2027.
Distraction and self-regulation remain key concerns
The research suggests the bigger challenge for schools may be managing attention rather than deciding whether technology belongs in classrooms. Half of teachers said students were frequently distracted while using screens, while only 42% said students could shift their attention away when asked.
Among high school leaders, just 10% believed students could effectively self-regulate their use of technology while learning.
“Overall, these findings suggest that managing attention and minimising off-task screen behaviour remain persistent classroom challenges, with many teachers reporting impacts on both student focus and peer interactions,” the report said.
Students reported similar difficulties. Some 84% of secondary students said screens distracted them at least sometimes, compared with 57% of primary students. Only 59% of secondary students said they would always stop using a screen immediately when asked.
The findings add to the wider debate over classroom screen use in Australia, particularly around how schools balance digital learning with the risk of distraction.
Screen use climbs sharply with age
The findings also show how screen habits become harder to manage as students get older.
Students in the early primary years spent fewer than two hours daily on screens inside and outside school. By high school, that figure exceeded seven hours.
Those hours included schoolwork, social media, gaming and other activities, making the line between educational and recreational use increasingly blurred.
Years 9 and 10 students reported spending an average 38 minutes daily on social media outside school. That rose to 61 minutes in Years 11 and 12.
“Overall, the findings point to a clear shift in students’ screen use as they move through their schooling: time on devices increases, the mix of activities becomes more complex, and the boundaries between learning, leisure and social connection become harder to distinguish and manage,” the report said.
Around four in five students also said their parents were sometimes on screens while they were trying to speak with them.
NSW moves towards more deliberate screen use
Under the NSW Department of Education’s screen-time guidelines, Kindergarten to Year 2 students will be limited to 15 minutes of individual screen use daily.
The limit rises to 30 minutes for Years 3 and 4, and 45 minutes for Years 5 and 6. For Years 7 to 10, individual screen use can account for up to 25% of each subject, rising to 50% for Years 11 and 12.
“The excessive use of technology and its impact on children’s mental health and education is a major concern for parents and schools today. Students benefit from the use of screens and technology in schools when they are used in an intentional way with a specific and age-appropriate educational purpose,” NSW Education Minister Prue Car said.
The shift is already prompting schools to reassess how classroom technology is used, particularly where devices are competing with students’ attention.
Professor Matt Bower, the study’s lead author, said assumptions about what technology could achieve in schools had changed. “It was naive at the time to think we would give every student a laptop, and they would automatically be prepared with digital literacies that would make them successful,” Bower said.
However, Bower cautioned against abandoning digital tools altogether, saying videos, simulations and data analysis could still support learning.
The research also found parents of students with special needs often held more positive views of technology use. This underscores why schools may need to take a more targeted approach rather than apply screen limits uniformly in practice.