Screen Time Planner
Enter your child’s age for sensible recreational screen-time guidance, then use the daily anchors as the things to protect first. For school-age kids it’s less about a magic number and more about balance — sleep, activity, school and family time come first, and screens fill what’s left.
Enter your child’s age to see screen-time guidance for their stage.
Protect these first (then screens fit around them)
- Enough sleep for their age
- About an hour of physical activity
- Meals together, screen-free
- Homework and reading time
- A screen-free hour before bed
Make a simple family media plan
Agree where and when screens are OK, and where they’re not (meals, bedrooms at night, the hour before bed). Written down and applied to everyone, it heads off most arguments.
General guidance for healthy habits, not medical advice. Every child and family is different — adjust to what works for yours.
How it works
Major guidance (like the AAP) stops giving a strict hourly limit after age 5 and instead focuses on a consistent family media plan: agreed limits, no screens during meals or the hour before bed, and content you’re happy with. Younger school-age kids do best with clearer caps; teens do best with limits you set together.
The protect-first anchors are the non-negotiables of a healthy day. Lock those in — enough sleep, an hour of physical activity, meals, homework and a screen-free wind-down — and recreational screen time simply fits into what remains.
Frequently asked questions
How much screen time is OK for a school-age child? +
There’s no single number after age 5. Around 1–2 hours of recreational screens on a school day is a common, balanced aim for younger kids, but what matters most is that sleep, activity, school and family time aren’t squeezed out.
What about screens before bed? +
Keep the hour before bed screen-free where you can. Late screens delay sleep, and the light and stimulation make it harder to settle — protect sleep first, especially on school nights.
Are educational or video-call screens different? +
Yes. Homework, reading, creating and video calls with family are generally fine and don’t need to count the same as passive scrolling or autoplay video. Quality and context matter, not just minutes.
How do I set limits without constant battles? +
Agree the plan together when everyone’s calm, make it predictable (same rules daily), use clear stop points, and model it yourself. A shared family media plan beats moment-to-moment policing.
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