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Prince William County Public Schools has announced students will no longer be able to access YouTube on school-issued devices starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Students will no longer be able to access YouTube directly on their school division-issued devices, both in school and at home. This includes Youtube.com and the YouTube app.
“While online video can be a valuable instructional resource, there is not an effective, reliable way within YouTube to consistently limit students to a single video within the YouTube platform,” Superintendent LaTanya McDade at the School Board’s May 20 meeting. “As a result, this change is intended to better support student engagement and appropriate technology use, supporting both teachers and families.”
The shift does not, however, eliminate the use of videos in instruction. Teachers will continue to incorporate video and multimedia resources aligned with curriculum, and students will still be able to view teacher-selected videos through approved instructional platforms, officials said.
Local resident Kate Olson-Flynn spoke at the May 20 School Board meeting to advocate for even further limitations on technology in classrooms.
“Children in elementary school, at least, do not need to learn on iPads or computers. Solely taking away YouTube will not change the outcome,” Olson-Flynn said. “The problem is the computer itself.”
Instead, Olson-Flynn advocated for a return to the times before technology was prevalent in school, with paper, pencils and physical copies of books.
“PWCS has spent millions of dollars on tech programs, online curriculum, iPads, with the mistaken belief that this technology would be the panacea for test scores and to prepare students for the digital age,” Olson-Flynn said. “The reality is that our kids are struggling more than ever.”
Olson-Flynn said kids are struggling to focus and are overstimulated because “they are now spending much of their time on computers, their free time on computers, isolated with headphones on, in classrooms staring at screens.”
She pointed to research that shows watching or reading a computer or iPad is not the same as reading a book or being read to by a teacher or parent holding a book.
“Counting actual manipulatives is not the same thing as watching a video count for you,” she said.
Fellow parent and school system staff member Megan Feaman also spoke about the change. While she said she was appreciative action was being taken to remove access to YouTube, she wished these concerns had been recognized sooner.
“One of my own students was using YouTube during the school day to search for things like Lego and hockey videos,” Feaman said. “Over time, the algorithm began suggesting disturbing and inappropriate content. I did not consent to that exposure.”
“When I review the device for a school day, it is alarming to see how much time is spent not only on the device itself but specifically on YouTube during school hours,” Feaman said.
She said the school system is increasingly reliant on screens for instruction despite growing evidence about the “addictive” nature of technology and its impact on learning and development.
Like Olson-Flynn, Feaman pointed to research that shows the negative impacts screen time can have on attention, reading development and overall learning.
In her part-time role as a support nurse in the school system, Feaman said she has treated students for headaches that are directly attributed to school screen time use.
“Technology will continue to be a part of our students’ lives, but we must find a healthier balance that allows students to learn, build relationships and develop healthy habits,” Feaman said.
McDade said the school system will continue to evaluate and refine how “instructional technology” is used in the classrooms to ensure it is “purposeful, age appropriate and supports student success.”
