Pennsylvania HR 543: A Resolution directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to carry out a performance audit on public school policies and procedures related to the amount of screen time students are allowed during the school day.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3461
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 543
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY STEELE, COOPER, FRANKEL, HANBIDGE, MERSKI,
PROKOPIAK, PASHINSKI AND INGLIS, MAY 28, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MAY 28, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to carry
out a performance audit on public school policies and
procedures related to the amount of screen time students are
allowed during the school day.
WHEREAS, Nearly 90% of public schools in the United States
have implemented one-to-one electronic device distribution; and
WHEREAS, Children are being introduced to Internet-enabled
devices at younger ages than before, as one 2024 study showed
that 26% of children eight years of age or younger use mobile
devices daily; and
WHEREAS, Game-based academic activities may encourage early
addiction to screens and some believe that, in many schools,
electronic device use has become the default activity rather
than a supplemental tool; and
WHEREAS, The American Academy of Pediatrics and the United
States Department of Education have not released recommended
screen time limits for school students but have emphasized that,
when children are using electronic devices, they should be
engaged in critical thinking activities rather than passive
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activities for entertainment; and
WHEREAS, Physicians are struggling to issue appropriate
guidance to parents for home screen use because they are unsure
how much screen time children are getting during the school day;
and
WHEREAS, Excessive screen time exposure is detrimental to
students' mental health, social and emotional skills, executive
functioning, sensorimotor development, attention spans and
academic outcomes, in addition to heightened eye strain and
likelihood of obesity; and
WHEREAS, Some studies have shown that children are more
likely to retain information when they read it from a book
rather than when they read that same information on a screen;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to carry out a
performance audit on public school policies and procedures
related to the amount of screen time students are allowed during
the school day; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
performance audit objectives include the following:
(1) A review of policies from other states.
(2) A comparison of Pennsylvania school districts'
policies against established benchmarks or best practices.
(3) A determination of whether a school district's
policies produced the intended results or results
inconsistent with the policies' objectives.
(4) Any additional objectives the Legislative Budget and
Finance Committee deems necessary;
and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly
within one year of the adoption of this resolution.
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