Madrid's New Decree: Limiting Digital Device Use in Early Education
The Community of Madrid has announced a groundbreaking regulation aimed at limiting the individual use of digital devices among students in Early Childhood and Primary Education in public and charter schools for the upcoming academic year. During a press conference on Wednesday, spokesperson Miguel Ángel García revealed that Madrid will become the first autonomous community in Spain to enact such measures. This initiative is part of a broader decree aimed at regulating digital technology usage in publicly funded educational institutions.
The new regulation allows for only shared and supervised access to digital devices, restricting student use to a maximum of two hours per week. García emphasized that this move seeks to restore traditional educational practices, melding them with modern pedagogical needs. "What we want is to return to the essence of traditional education but of course adapted to the present—a return to dictation, attention, handwriting, spelling, textbooks, and notebooks," he stated.
Although the curricula for Early Childhood and Primary Education will continue to include digital competencies, the engagement with digital devices will mostly be confined to elective subjects and specific projects where technology is deemed essential. Notably, usage restrictions will also include a total ban on digital devices for the first cycle of Early Childhood (ages 0-3). Additionally, assignments requiring the use of computers or tablets for students in Early Childhood and Primary Education will be prohibited.
Under the new guidelines, limited shared access to devices in classrooms will be structured by grade level: one hour per week for the second cycle of Early Childhood (ages 3-6) and 1st and 2nd grades of Primary; one and a half hours for 3rd and 4th grades; and two hours for 5th and 6th grades. However, for Mandatory Secondary Education (ESO), the responsibility for determining the individual or shared use of digital devices will rest with individual schools and institutes—based on the specific needs and maturity of their students.
Importantly, the regulation makes provisions for students with specific support needs, allowing them to use digital devices without restrictions if supported by a psychopedagogical report.
The decree is set to begin implementation in the 2025-26 academic year, although certain schools may be granted a delay until the 2026-27 academic year if they are already operating under programs that include individual devices for each student. This significant shift in Madrid’s educational policy aims not only to regulate digital device use but also to promote a balanced approach to education, integrating technology while emphasizing traditional academic skills.
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