MINI EPISODE: LAUSD Passes Landmark School Screen Policy (with Lila Byock)

Summary

Summary of Scrolling 2 Death

MINI EPISODE: LAUSD Passes Landmark School Screen Policy

Host: Nicki Petrossi
Guest: Lila Byock, founder of Schools Beyond Screens
Date: April 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special mini episode focuses on a "landmark" decision made by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD): the unanimous passage of a sweeping new policy restricting school-issued device use among students. Host Nicki Petrossi interviews activist parent and Schools Beyond Screens founder Lila Byock about how her coalition achieved this milestone, what the policy entails, and the next steps for those hoping to push for similar reforms across the country.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Policy: "Using Technology with Intention"

• Passed Unanimously by the LAUSD board on April 21, 2026.
• Major Changes Include:
  • No digital devices for students in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Kindergarten, and 1st Grade.
  • Prohibition of student-led use of YouTube and other streaming platforms.
  • Daily and weekly screen time limits set by grade level.
  • No device use during lunch, recess, and passing periods.
• Lila Byock’s reaction:
  "I'm still reeling. I kind of can't believe it's... real." (01:49)
  She emphasizes the speed of the policy’s implementation and its significance for student well-being.

2. Policy Details & Remaining Gaps

• What’s included:
  The policy addresses several parent and teacher concerns but leaves room for further reforms.
• Immediate priorities for advocates:
  • Expand the digital device ban to 2nd grade (currently stops at 1st).
  • Require, rather than encourage, a "cart model" (where devices are shared and checked out as needed) for 3rd to 5th grades.
  • Explicitly prohibit non-instructional gaming platforms (e.g., Fortnite, Roblox), which is currently only recommended.
  • Include middle and high schoolers in device restrictions during passing periods:
    "Middle and high schoolers are often left out of the conversation around developmentally appropriate screen use... but our older students still have developing brains, they're still children." (03:58)
  • No online homework in older grades, especially no device-based homework in middle school.

3. The Role of Lawsuits Against Social Media Companies

• YouTube Ban and Legal Action:
  The recent wave of lawsuits against social media companies was a catalyst.
  • LAUSD formally joined lawsuits against YouTube about two weeks prior.
  • "It's pretty hypocritical for us to be, entering a lawsuit against YouTube on the basis of the addictive design of its platform while still allowing student access to YouTube on devices." (05:32 - Lila)
• Legal implications:
  "I think it opens districts themselves up to liability and it potentially undermines their legal case." (06:22 - Lila)

4. Mobilizing Nationwide: Schools Beyond Screens

• Massive interest from parents and educators across the US:
  • "We've been getting a torrent of emails, people all over the country asking how they can do what we did in LAUSD in their district." (06:32)
• National Expansion Plans:
  • Launching new chapters of Schools Beyond Screens.
  • Offering a “toolkit,” “chapter-in-a-box,” and organizing info sessions via Zoom.

5. Movement Building and Optimism

• Host Nicki highlights the power of collective action:
  • "We can make really big changes when we come together as a group and this is what's right for our kids." (07:26)
• Lila frames LAUSD as the "first, biggest domino to fall in the edtech rebellion" and urges listeners to get involved.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On grown-ups course-correcting mistakes:
  "This is a really powerful example to kids that sometimes grown ups make mistakes and we don't do the right thing and then we fix it when we get better information."

  • [00:00], cited from a board member by Lila

• On the new policy’s immediacy:
  "This is happening very, very quickly... We could not be more excited. This is step one."

  • [01:49] – Lila Byock

• On YouTube lawsuits and hypocrisy:
  "It's pretty hypocritical for us to be, entering a lawsuit against YouTube on the basis of the addictive design of its platform while still allowing student access to YouTube on devices."

  • [05:32] – Lila Byock

• On building a national movement:
  "We are really, really hopeful that LAUSD is just the first biggest domino to fall in the edtech rebellion."

  • [06:32] – Lila Byock

• On advocacy and collective action:
  "We can make really big changes when we come together as a group and this is what's right for our kids. And you guys did it."

  • [07:26] – Nicki Petrossi

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Board member’s quote on learning from mistakes
• 01:49 – Lila recounts the LAUSD policy passage and its highlights
• 03:58 – Calls for extending screen time limits and bans for older grades
• 05:32 – Discussion on YouTube’s addictive nature and lawsuits
• 06:32 – Lila introduces Schools Beyond Screens' nationwide expansion
• 07:26 – Closing notes on movement-building and national implications

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Final Notes

This episode is both a celebration of local advocacy success and a practical primer for parents, teachers, and administrators eager to push back against excessive screen use in schools. It offers hope, concrete next steps, and a rallying call for involvement, all delivered with the energy and urgency that have made the movement possible. For more resources or to start a local chapter, listeners are directed to schoolsbeyondscreens.com.

Transcript

[A]

One of the board members, one of the things she said is, I think this is a really powerful example to kids that sometimes grown ups make mistakes and we don't do the right thing and then we fix it when we get better information. There were a lot of people who didn't know better when we first pushed all this tech into schools. And now we know better and so we're gonna fix it.

[B]

We. Welcome to Scrolling to Death. I'm super excited to be putting out a special mini episode today with my guest, Leela Byock. Leila is a mom in Los Angeles and she is the founder of Schools Beyond Screens, a parent teacher coalition who is fighting back against the overuse of screens at school. This group accomplished something huge just this week. On Tuesday, April 21, the LAUSD school board voted unanimously for a new policy. And they're going to work with Leela and parents and teachers to implement this policy around what's best for kids, not best for the profits of ed tech companies. I had a quick conversation with Leila to tell us what this policy entails. And keep in mind, this is step one. There's a lot more work to be done. But what is incredible is that Leila is making this process available to parents, teachers and administrators all across the country. Let's get into my chat with Leela Bayak. Leila, I think it was about seven months ago I interviewed you on Scrolling to Death about your issues with your son's use of school issued devices. And I remember you told me that your hope was to get LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District to change their policies. And as of yesterday, April 21st, you did it. You did it.

[A]

I'm still reeling. I kind of can't believe it's. It's real. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Unified School Board unanimously passed a resolution called Using Technology with Intention, which basically directs the school district to put in place a fundamentally new tech policy for the coming school year. So this is happening very, very quickly. Among many other things, it eliminates the use of digital devices by students in TK, kindergarten and first grade. It prohibits student led use of YouTube and other video streaming platforms.

[B]

That's huge. It's so huge.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

It provides maximum daily and weekly screen time limits by grade level. And it prohibits student digital devices during lunch, recess and passing periods. Those are just a few of the things in this resolution. I really encourage everyone to read it because there's a lot more kind of nitty gritty, you know, I'm really, really excited about the fact that the district has been listening to us. They've heard us, the thousands of members of schools Beyond Screens who have been, you know, pushing this issue repeatedly over the course of the last year. And they're really willing to work with us as partners in developing this policy for the coming school year. So we're just, we could not be more excited. This is step one. Some of the things that we're going to be asking for in the policy is to expand the ban on the use of digital devices up to second grade. So TK through second grade, no devices. Right now the policy says the district is encouraged to pursue a cart model for devices for third grade, fifth grade. And we wanted that to be a requirement rather than encouraged. The resolution does not actually prohibit the use of non instructional gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox, which is, we think is a little odd. It says that, you know, the district is encouraged to consider doing that. So obviously we want to, you know, see that enshrined in policy. Yeah, we want to extend the ban on devices during periods to include high schoolers as well. We think that, you know, middle and high schoolers are often left out of the conversation around, you know, developmentally appropriate screen use in school. There's a lot of focus on the younger grades, as there should be. But our older students still have developing brains, they're still children. And they deserve, you know, for schools to be a sanctuary from the distraction and, you know, all the problems of digital devices in the addiction.

[B]

The addiction based off of the decisions in the latest lawsuits.

[A]

Exactly, exactly. And so, and as part of that, you know, we want to see a little more emphasis on homework. We really would like to, to see no online homework assigned in the older grades and really no device based homework in middle school whatsoever.

[B]

I love all of that. And I know you're going to continue pushing. I wanted to ask about YouTube specifically. Do you think that the fact that they're a defendant in all these thousands of lawsuits and the internal documents that have come out about YouTube being addictive, do you think that helped to push this through with LAUSD now not allowing kids to watch YouTube for educational purposes?

[A]

Absolutely. And in fact, I don't know if you saw, but just about two weeks ago, LAUSD formally entered the lawsuit with all the other school districts against YouTube. And so as soon as that happened, schools beyond Screens immediately contacted the, the new superintendent and the school board and said, hey, it's pretty hypocritical for us to be, you know, entering a lawsuit against YouTube on the basis of the addictive design of its platform while still allowing student access to YouTube on devices.

[B]

There's like nearly 1600 school districts that have entered this lawsuit against social media companies, including YouTube. And so if your school is still assigning content via YouTube and especially if they're in this lawsuit, like Leila talked about, like, we, you need to make that point to your school.

[A]

You know, I'm not a lawyer, but. But I think it opens districts themselves up to liability and it, it potentially undermines their legal case. Exactly.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

We, we've been getting a torrent of emails, people all over the country asking how they can do what we did in LAUSD in their district. And so we're actually going to be exp. And helping parents and teachers and administrators all over the country establish schools Beyond Screens chapters in their areas. We are going to be hosting a zoom call soon for anyone who's interested in potentially starting a chapter in their area. We can provide a, a kind of toolkit to a kind of chapter in a box. And we are really, really hopeful that, you know, LAUSD is just the first biggest domino to fall in the edtech rebellion. Schools beyond screens.com you can sign up there and if you're interested in joining or launching a chapter, there's a little box you can check.

[B]

Leila, thank you for what you've done. I can't believe it. I mean, we can make really big changes when we come together as a group and this is what's right for our kids. And you guys did it. And I'm so proud of all of you and I can't wait to see this trickle out to all the school districts across the country and maybe the world.