Labour says the plan would fund activity grants and require every school to set screen-use policies. The spending is not in its published fiscal plan.
The Labour Kids Off Screens policy would put $7 million a year into after-school sport and activities, and ask schools to set clear rules on how devices are used. Labour leader Chris Hipkins and education spokesperson Ginny Andersen announced the plan on Sunday, 18 October 2026, speaking from Petone in Lower Hutt.
Hipkins said too much of childhood is being spent on screens, while sport, hobbies and other after-school activities are out of reach for many families. Andersen said the aim was not to turn back the clock or pretend technology has no place in life.
What the Labour Kids Off Screens policy would fund
The money would go to two existing programmes. Labour would provide $3 million a year to keep Active Me – Kia Tū running. The programme offers grants of up to $300 a year for two years towards the cost of sport, such as registration fees, uniforms and equipment.
A further $4 million a year would go to Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, a fund that supports organisations delivering physical activity. Labour says this extra money would be ring-fenced for community groups running after-school sport and activities for children. NZ Herald reported the same commitments as $12 million over four years for Active Me – Kia Tū and $16 million over four years for Tū Manawa. That adds up to the same $7 million a year.
New expectations for schools
The plan also targets classrooms. Labour says it would work with educators, health experts and young people to update Ministry of Education recommendations on screen use in early childhood education and schools. Schools would be required to have clear screen-use policies, including when and how devices can be used in class. Labour has also said it would keep the Government’s existing ban on mobile phones in schools.
For families, the party says it would make online safety tools easier to find and use. It points to the free Switch-on Safety filter and the Digital Guardian Guide. Labour says the plan builds on expert recommendations made to the Government in 2024, and sits alongside its AI Action Plan, which includes an independent online regulator.
Funding, gaps and open questions
Labour’s own policy page lists the plan among its 2026 election commitments and says it would benefit children, parents, schools and community clubs. That is the party’s description of the benefits, not an independent assessment.
The spending is not set out in Labour’s fiscal plan. NZ Herald reported it is understood to come from the unallocated spending already included in that plan.
Several practical details were not available in coverage reviewed by HCN. These include a start date for the grants, who would be eligible for the extra support, how many children the funding would reach, and when schools would have to introduce their screen policies.
The plan also rests on an assumption that cheaper access to sport will reduce time spent on screens. None of the reporting reviewed by HCN cites evidence that tests this link, so the effect on children’s screen use is unknown.
Part of a wider cost-of-education pitch
The announcement follows other education-cost proposals Labour has made this month. It has said it would limit compulsory branded school uniform items from term 1 in 2028, bring back locally made school lunches and restore rural school bus routes where possible.
Together, the proposals position Labour on the everyday cost of schooling for families, an issue Hipkins has framed as one of fairness. Responses from other parties to the Kids Off Screens plan were not available at the time of writing.
Voters will be able to weigh the plan against rival parties’ education proposals as the election campaign continues. For more coverage of the New Zealand campaign, follow the latest reporting on Human Crisis News.