As concerns grow about the impact of screens on children’s development, Alabama lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would limit screen time in publicly funded child care and early learning programs for children from birth through age 5.
House Bill 78 would prohibit screen use for children under age 2 and direct state agencies to develop age-appropriate screen time standards for older preschoolers, while also requiring training for educators.
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The bill reflects a continuing effort by lawmakers to rein in screen use in educational settings, following a statewide ban implemented this year on student cell phones during the instructional day in public K-12 schools.
While lawmakers from both parties praised the bill’s intent, some raised concerns about funding and the limits of state policy in addressing screen use beyond the classroom.
Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, sponsored House Bill 78, which is being carried in the Senate by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva.
She said the bill aims to put guidelines in place to ensure children aren’t using screens excessively.
“I’m not saying that we’re banning screens,” she said during House debate Tuesday.
“I’m just saying that we’ve got to come up with some guidelines to where it’s not excessive, and that we’re allowing children to have this hands-on learning, to create experiences where the teacher is involved.”
While the original bill prescribed screen time limits for children aged 2 through 4, that language was dropped from the version the House passed.
Instead, the Departments of Education, Human Resources and Early Childhood Education are charged with developing age-appropriate screen time standards.
The bill also requires the three state agencies to develop standards for what constitutes high-quality programming that could be shown in education settings for children aged 2 to 5, along with annual training requirements for teachers and staff.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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