The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office is urging schools to limit screen time across the board, warning that over-exposure to tech in the classroom can harm children’s health.
“While screen use can have some benefits, the evidence of a range of risks to children’s overall mental and physical health is mounting,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a statement introducing a new tech-themed advisory from the office, which was released on Wednesday.
Excessive technology use can be a “path to addiction-like behavior,” Kennedy added.
The report urges schools to implement a “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphone use, encourage extracurriculars and physical activity, and keep screen use in dedicated computer labs.
“Invest in physical textbooks and prioritize pen-and-paper curricula, hands on activities, and social activities for all grade levels,” the report advises. “Limit screen use by assigning work in books or on paper whenever possible.”
The advisory notes that there are “knowledge gaps” in the research comparing the wide variety of digital and analog learning methods, but it argues strong steps still need to be taken.
“We cannot wait for every question to be settled before acting,” the report reads.
In 2024, the Biden administration surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, called on Congress to require a health warning label on social media platforms. The office of the surgeon general currently lacks a confirmed permanent leader. The president has nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor.
Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already limit cellphone use, and Iowa, Tennessee, and Utah have laws seeking to limit overall screen time in schools, according to EdWeek.
Tech companies have also faced scrutiny in courts this year for the alleged health impacts of their platforms, including a California court finding Instagram and YouTube liable for being addictive and a New Mexico jury finding that Meta products were harmful to children’s mental health.
Outside of schools, the surgeon general’s report urges children to “live real life” as much as possible and suggests parents have clear tech boundaries in the home while delaying the use of screens for “as long as possible.”
The recommendations clash somewhat with the Trump administration’s strong embrace of artificial intelligence, including in education settings.
Last year, the first lady unveiled a presidential AI challenge and the president issued an executive order seeking to preempt state-level AI regulation, some of which has focused on protecting children from potential harms.
The president has been a strong supporter overall of the tech industry, many of whose leading figures and companies donated heavily to his campaign, inauguration, and White House ballroom project.
