How can I set a bedtime schedule?

Cutting off device usage at night is one of the most important boundaries to set for kids, because kids will often trade in sleep for more screen time! Here's what to do.

How do I set or change a bedtime schedule?

  1. In the Screenable app, go to your kid's device settings.
    • (You can actually do this either in your kid's profile settings or for a specific device. In both cases, it sets the bedtime schedule for all that kid's devices.)
  2. Tap Bedtime.
  3. Choose different times for weeknights (Su-Th) vs weekend nights (F-Sa), or alternatively for each day individually.
    • You only need to select the starting time, not ending time (bedtime schedules automatically end at 4am everyday).
  4. When you save, it'll take a few minutes to update on your kid's devices.

What happens during bedtime? What apps will be blocked?

At the specified bedtime each night, all of a given kid's devices will switch into bedtime mode. That means all apps will be blocked from usage, with some exceptions mentioned below. Also, during bedtime, Overtime is not allowed.

The only apps that will remain available are about 10 Apple utilities (like Clock, Compass, etc) that Apple doesn't allow us to block. Since we can't block them, by default we fully remove them – except for Phone and Settings, which can't be blocked OR removed. To change these settings, see how to set allowed Apple utilities.

Can I skip bedtime for just one night?

Yep:

  1. In the Screenable parent app, go to the Home tab.
  2. In your kid's tile, tap the Bedtime callout. (It appears 2 hours before bedtime starts.) You'll then see a confirmation like this:

  3. Confirm and save. It'll take a few minutes to update on your kid's devices. The Bedtime callout will update to let you know it's been disabled, like this:

  4. You can re-enable it by tapping on the Bedtime callout again.

How should I set healthy bedtime boundaries?

We recommend choosing device bedtimes that are one hour before your kids' actual bedtime. This allows their brains to wind down and get some distance from the blue light of screens.

We also recommend a family policy of screens never "sleeping" in bedrooms, but rather always being charged overnight in a central location, like the kitchen. This removes any temptation or distraction, since research has shown that just having a device nearby can distract the brain. (At that point, Screenable becomes a backup prevention.)