‘Eyes up, screens down’: Victoria restricts tech in high school classrooms to two hours a day in national first

Academic says laptops have ‘completely overtaken’ traditional note-taking and research other states should ‘absolutely’ follow the state’s lead

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Victorian secondary school students will spend less time on screens and more time using pen and paper under a national-first plan to limit classroom device use to two hours a day.

The Victorian government on Monday announced that all state secondary schools will be required to incorporate planned device-free learning time in their teaching programs from term 1, 2027. This could include “using whiteboards or paper, group debates, practical experiments or performances instead”, the government said.