Family safety
Screen time: less about the clock, more about what it's replacing
Pediatric guidance has shifted away from strict minute limits toward a simpler question: is a screen adding to your child's day, or quietly crowding something else out?
How much screen time is appropriate by age?
These are general starting points from pediatric guidance, not hard rules. Every kid and every family is different.
Under 18 months
Avoid screens except video-chatting with family. At this age, a screen can't replace real back-and-forth interaction.
2 to 5 years
Around 1 hour a day of high-quality, age-appropriate content is a reasonable ceiling, watched together when you can. Less is still better.
6 years and up
There's no single "magic number" anymore. The focus shifts to whether screens are crowding out sleep, physical activity, homework, or in-person time, with limits set as a family.
Teens
Shift from strict limits toward guided independence: talk about what they're watching, who they're talking to, and how it makes them feel, and revisit the agreement as they grow.
In 2026 the American Academy of Pediatrics moved from counting minutes to a "5 C's" framework, Child, Content, Calm, Crowding Out, and Communication, that looks at the quality and context of screen use rather than the clock.
What are the warning signs of unhealthy screen use?
- Meltdowns, anger, or real distress whenever screen time ends
- Screens displacing sleep, meals, homework, or in-person friendships
- Losing interest in activities they used to enjoy off-screen
- Sneaking a device after bedtime or hiding how much they're using it
- Grades or mood tracking noticeably with how much time they're spending online
- Using a screen as the only way they know how to self-soothe or beat boredom
How do you build a family media plan?
- Set device-free times and zones together: meals, bedrooms overnight, homework time
- Charge devices outside bedrooms overnight, for kids and parents alike
- Co-view or co-play new apps and shows before letting kids use them solo
- Model the habits you want to see; kids notice a parent's own screen use more than they let on
- Revisit the plan as kids get older. What works at 6 won't fit at 14
- Use built-in screen time tools to set limits, not to spy, and tell your kids why you're using them
How do you stop accidental in-app purchases?
In-app purchases are one of the most common screen-time surprises: a $0.99 upgrade can turn into hundreds of dollars in a single sitting.
- Turn on Apple's Ask to Buy so any purchase or download needs your approval first
- On Android, turn on purchase approvals in Google Play through Family Link
- On Xbox and PlayStation, set a spending or allowance limit in the family settings app instead of leaving a card on file
- Remove saved card details from shared devices and use a prepaid or gift-card balance instead
- Review purchase confirmation emails together so kids see what things actually cost
- Most app stores allow a refund request within a short window if a purchase was made by mistake
Apple Screen Time
Built into iPhone and iPad. Set app-specific limits, downtime schedules, and content restrictions, with weekly reports you can review together.
support.apple.com →Google Family Link
Free for Android and Google accounts. Set daily limits, app-specific timers, and a remote bedtime lock for a child's device.
families.google.com/familylink →Microsoft Family Safety
Screen time schedules and app or game limits that sync across Windows PCs and Xbox, free with a Microsoft account.
microsoft.com/family-safety →Full guidance: the AAP's 5 C's framework at aap.org, and the free Family Media Plan tool at healthychildren.org.