Most classrooms in New Zealand have an iPad or computer, and in lockdown, they were a lifeline.
But some experts are calling for caution, saying overuse of devices could have negative health implications for children.
University of Auckland ophthalmology researcher Alex Muntz says in recent years he has seen more and more young people developing dry eyes as a direct result of extended screen use.
"We've actually seen quite a lot of evidence recently to suggest that or to show the fact that we were inside on screens for such a long time especially young people has led to increases in short sightedness or myopia."
Muntz said despite this, he doesn't think parents need to be alarmed about children's screen use.
"As long as there is a certain degree of balance in their lives with a well-balanced lifestyle including nutrition, cognitive development, social interactions, outdoor play - all of that."
Paediatric physiotherapist Julie Cullen told 1News clinicians are seeing young patients coming through with a number of issues related to screen use, like back pain, neck pain, headaches and repetitive strain injury.
"Excessive or very frequent screen use can be associated with negative impacts to health, in a number of areas of health.
"It can sound frightening, but the good thing about being aware means we can take steps to reduce them and really allow kids to get the best use out of devices with lower risks than we currently have."
Primary school teacher Kris Robins told 1News she has seen first-hand the consequences of device overuse.
"We [teachers] try to do a very balanced curriculum, as in have device time and non-device time. We don't see it as a be-all and end-all of everything that we do."
Robins said she often sees students arriving at school on Monday mornings "shaking" from being on screens all weekend, so she tries to keep children off devices in the classroom as much as possible.
"There are kids who are addicted to their devices and they probably wouldn't know how to do much without them.
"There's kids who are still at level one of the curriculum and they're about to leave primary school and go to intermediate, and it really worries me that they still haven't got the ability to read, so they need books, they need that time with print rather than digital devices."
The Ministry of Education told 1News it doesn't enforce any specific policies for devices in schools. It said it acknowledges the way children learn is changing, but ultimately it's up to schools to decide how often screens are used.
"When developing these policies, they should consider factors such as balancing screen time with learning through other means, as well as students and whānau ability to access devices.
"Rich curriculum learning should guide how students access learning, rather than the technology itself. How teachers use devices to design and guide learning activity is what is most important."
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