The American Academy of Pediatrics stopped recommending a single hour limit for school-age children years ago. Instead, it recommends that each family write its own plan - one that protects sleep, activity, homework and time together, and applies to adults as well as children. This is how to build one that holds up in real life, with two worked examples.
A plan works when it is specific, visible, and applies to everyone. "Less screen time" is a wish. "Screens off at 7:30pm, charging in the kitchen, no devices at the table" is a plan.
Do not start from a screen-time number. Start from everything that has to happen in a day, and let recreational screens fill what is left. For each child, block out:
What remains is the realistic window for recreational screens. For many primary-age children on a school day that is one to two hours; at weekends it is more.
These often matter more than the total:
A plan that lives in your head gets renegotiated every day. Write it on one sheet, keep it short, and post it where everyone sees it. Include the adults' commitments too - phone away at dinner, not on the phone during pick-up - because children calibrate to what they see, not what they are told.
Decide now what happens when the limit is broken (for example, the next day's screen time is reduced) and what earns flexibility (a film night, a rainy day, a long car journey). Knowing the boundaries and the exceptions ahead of time removes most of the daily arguing.
| Element | The rule |
|---|---|
| Weekday recreational screens | 3-year-old: up to 30-45 min, co-viewed, early evening only. 6-year-old: up to 1 hour after homework and outdoor play. |
| Weekend | Up to ~1.5 hours each, ideally split into two sessions, not first thing in the morning. |
| Always off | Meal times, the hour before bed, in the car for short trips, in bedrooms. |
| Content | Pre-approved shows and apps only. An adult starts and ends each session. |
| Transitions | Five-minute warning, then straight to snack or outside. Timer visible to the child. |
| Adults | No phones at the table or during the bedtime routine. |
| Element | The rule |
|---|---|
| Weekday recreational screens | 9-year-old: ~1 hour after homework, activity and chores. 14-year-old: manages their own time within a "homework and 8-10 hours sleep come first" rule. |
| Weekend | More relaxed; no fixed cap, but the fixed commitments (sleep, activity, family time, one screen-free block) still apply. |
| Devices overnight | All phones and tablets charge in the kitchen from 9pm (9-year-old) / 10pm (14-year-old). |
| Screen-free | Dinner table, family outings, first 30 minutes after waking. |
| Social media | Accounts and privacy settings reviewed together. Parent follows or has login details for the 14-year-old's main accounts, by prior agreement. |
| Adults | Same overnight charging rule. Phone-free dinners. |
Children's needs change, new devices arrive, and some rules turn out to be unworkable. Put a recurring reminder to sit down as a family and adjust the plan. A plan that flexes with evidence and circumstances is followed; a rigid one is quietly abandoned.
See our full citation list on the Sources & Research page. This article was written and reviewed following our editorial standards.
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Kids Screen Time