How to set healthy screen time limits for kids: ‘Three hours of anything is probably too much,’ says expert

School holidays mean more free time which often translates to more screen time.

Without the structure of the school day, tablets, TVs and phones quickly become the default activity.

“I think it’s really easy to just rely on the screen,” says Martha Deiros Collado, a UK-based clinical psychologist and author of The Smartphone Solution: When and How to Give Your Child a Phone.

The more time a child spends on a screen, however, the less time they spend developing the skills it takes to interact with the world, she says.

Here’s how experts like Collado and Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, suggest parents tackle holiday screen intake for kids.

Start by asking how they want to spend their time

It’s about balance. When you think about your kids’ day, consider what their various activities are and how screens fit into that context.

“I wouldn’t want my seven-year-old to spend five hours on a screen because that means that it’s distracting from being outside in the garden, or playing with her sister, or helping me cook lunch or bake a cake,” says Collado.

If you have teenagers who likely make their own schedules, help them plan it at the beginning of the holidays.

Ask, “How much time you want to spend with your friends?” suggests Eyal.

“How much time do you want to spend with us? How much time do you want to spend camping or building something, starting a business, writing something, making videos?”

‘Three hours of anything is probably too much’

Studies have found that early screen exposure has been associated with lower cognitive abilities and academic performance.

Do some research on screen time recommendations for your child’s age.

Beyond that, aim for less than three hours a day, says Eyal, because “three hours of anything is probably too much”.

As you help to build your child’s weekly schedule, make their day-to-days visible by putting them on a whiteboard, says Collado, and make it clear when you’ve scheduled in that hour of TV or tablet use.

“I think if you have something visual, it can really help,” she says.

Not all screen time is created equal

“Passive screen time is not the same as watching a film with your mum and dad” or playing video games with your friends, says Collado.

Those are shared experiences. Likewise, using a tablet to create artwork or write a story is different from mindlessly scrolling or watching videos alone.

As far as internet consumption goes, “social media companies themselves say not to let your kid use the device below age 13,” says Eyal.

That’s an easier boundary to set. With teenagers, have a conversation with them about the effects of endless scrolling, then let them make their own decision, he advises.

Say something like, “I try and limit my own time online because here’s what I find,” says Eyal, “when I spend too much time online, I sit around. I’m not moving my body. I feel crappy.”

Create no-phone zones in your home

“No screens in bedrooms is a big boundary for me,” says Collado.

“You have to use it in a communal space, whether it’s the sofa or your dining room.”

One of Eyal’s family rules is no phones at the dining room table.

“There’s a lot of evidence that children who eat together with their families and have conversations with their families have fewer incidences of mental health issues,” he says.

Whatever your no-phone zone policy at home, make sure you and any caregiver follows the same rules themselves.