NSW screen time cap: Three fields that decide if your school’s policy is real

NSW schools are capping student screen time to as little as 15 minutes per day. If your child’s school issues implementation guidance—a policy memo, a device use form, a term start notice—check whether it names three things:

1. What counts as screen time. Scheduled lessons? Assistive devices? Independent work? If the memo doesn’t define this, it’s not a policy—it’s a headline. 2. When it starts. A date, not ‘next term.’ Without this, enforcement is impossible. 3. Who enforces it. A teacher? A software lockout? A detention system? If the memo doesn’t say, it’s not a rule—it’s a suggestion.

If all three are there, the policy is testable. If any are missing, it’s PR, and you can ignore it until the real policy arrives. Bring the memo when it lands; until then, this is what to watch for.