Oklahoma House panel advances proposals to limit elementary screen time and expand required student physical activity

Legislation targets classroom device use in early grades and expands physical-education and activity requirements statewide

Oklahoma lawmakers are moving forward with a set of education proposals that would reduce daily screen exposure for young students and increase the amount of structured physical activity required in public schools. The measures cleared the House Common Education Committee on Feb. 11, 2026, and were sent to the House Education Oversight Committee for additional review.

One proposal, House Bill 4358, would set a cap on device-based instruction for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. A second measure, House Bill 3288, would expand and strengthen minimum physical-education and activity expectations for full-day prekindergarten through grade 12, while also limiting when physical activity can be withheld as a disciplinary tool.

HB 4358: One-hour daily screen-time limit for pre-K through fifth grade

HB 4358 would limit public school students in prekindergarten through fifth grade to one hour of screen time per school day beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. The bill defines screen time broadly to include teacher-directed or student-selected activities using devices such as computers, tablets, televisions, smart devices, and Chromebooks, across all subjects.

The restriction would not apply to students whose special-education needs are documented in an individualized education program or a Section 504 plan, and it would not apply to assistive or adaptive technology required for a student to access educational content. The bill includes an effective date of July 1, 2026, and contains an emergency clause tied to enactment.

HB 3288: Expanded physical education and activity requirements, plus recess protections

HB 3288 would amend state law governing physical education programs by adding full-day prekindergarten to the grades covered by minimum requirements and increasing weekly physical education or exercise-program time for elementary students. For full-day prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades one through five, the bill would set a minimum weekly average of 150 minutes of physical education or exercise programs. Recess time would not count toward that requirement.

The bill also would bar withholding physical education as punishment for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, except when aggression or other threatening behavior has threatened safety. In those cases, the school would be required to provide accommodations so the student can still participate in some type of physical activity.

In addition to the increased physical education minimum, the bill would keep a separate weekly requirement for elementary schools to provide an average of 60 minutes of additional physical activity that may include physical education, exercise programs, fitness breaks, recess, classroom activities, and wellness and nutrition education. It also directs schools, during end-of-term or school-year testing, to make every attempt to schedule recess immediately before assessments and to encourage at least light-to-moderate activity during that recess.

For grades six through 12, the measure would require districts to provide physical education instruction or exercise programs for a minimum weekly average of 225 minutes.

What happens next

• The bills advance to the House Education Oversight Committee for further consideration.

• If approved by the full Legislature and signed into law, the screen-time cap would begin with the 2026-2027 school year, while the physical-education changes would take effect July 1, 2028, as written in the introduced text.

As the bills move through the legislative process, districts and school leaders may face questions about scheduling, staffing, compliance tracking, and how the new requirements would interact with existing instructional practices and technology use in classrooms.