What is your recommended device setup and screen time rules, for kids?

Kids typically interact with a range of devices, and it can be hard to know how to think about them all. Below is what we see parents commonly do to make sense of it all.

Firstly, it's usually a fool's errand to try to connect all kids' devices into a single parental control or monitoring solution, the fabled "one ring to rule them all." There are just too many exceptions and brittle integrations to make that a satisfying experience. (Read more about our stance on parental controls.) Instead, we recommend thinking about a few different device types.

Types of devices

First, let's cover the types of devices you'll want to consider within your setup and rules.

  • Personal mobile devices (phones & tablets). These are devices that kids can take with them, for example into their rooms or out of the home. That means they need a little more protection and oversight, since by nature they're a more independent experience. One key distinction is whether a mobile device has cell data or only wifi. Wifi-only devices make it harder to access the internet, e.g. from the school bus, but of course it's easy to connect at a Starbucks or friend's house. Usually it's treated as a big milestone when kids get a phone with a cellphone data plan.
  • Shared mobile devices (phones & tablets). These are devices shared by multiple kids within the family, usually when kids are younger. They basically have the same considerations as personal mobile devices, above, with a few twists. Read more about setting up shared family devices.
  • Consoles & gaming PCs. These are usually stationary setups that make it a little easier to keep an eye on what and how long kids have been playing. (The Nintendo Switch is a notable exception, since it can be removed from its stand and made mobile – though you might consider a rule that says it can't be taken to bedrooms or other private places in the home.) A gaming PC will generally give kids more broad online access through web browsers and other apps, so those may need more protection and oversight than other consoles.
  • TVs. These used to be the cause of parents' main screen time concerns, but these days they're growing in favor since they provide communal experiences that aren't siloed away in individual, private spaces. With that said, they now usually have built-in apps like YouTube, Netflix, and even sometimes primitive web access, so you may need to keep an eye on things, particularly if a TV is in a downstairs room, den, or other semi-private space.
  • Smart speakers & displays. These typically hang out in play rooms or kids' bedrooms, and they respond to voice commands to play music, read audiobooks, set timers, and answer general web search questions. There are ways to protect and limit these, for example through setting bedtime hours, but it can be hard to control specific content, like explicit lyrics or inappropriate web queries. Smart displays introduce additional access, mostly through YouTube, Netflix, and other video services, meaning they may not be as appropriate for locations like kids' bedrooms.

Typical screen time rules and limits

One approach is to try to set an all-encompassing screen time limit across devices – so for example, choosing a set amount of time per day that kids can use up on whichever devices they choose. This can work well if kids only have access to one type device from the list above, since it makes it easier to manage, both for parents and kids. But for anything more complex, this can be pretty difficult to pull off well.

Instead, here's what we've seen work well:

  1. Choose an overall daily screen time limit, ideally in collaboration with your kids. (Read our guide to setting good screen time limits if you haven't already.)
  2. Have your kid use only one platform on any given day, so for example just their gaming console OR their mobile device(s). This makes it easier to track, for both of you.
    • Alternatively, you could specify different screen time limits per device type, so for example, "30 minutes a day on an iPad, 30 minutes a day on the TV."
  3. If they have mobile devices, make sure you have some way of limiting or tracking their time, such as through Screenable, so neither of you forget and get lost in what you're doing. See below for more advice on mobile device setups.
  4. If they have a gaming console, TV, or smart display, it's a little harder to manage because the system's parental controls usually can't track multiple kids and often don't interrupt the game or video in a way that actually helps kids remember to stop playing. If you're home with them, try to have them physically nearby you so it's easier to keep tabs on their tab. Consider having them set their own timer somewhere you can both hear it, to increase accountability and self-control.
  5. Smart speakers can often be fine without using screen time limits at all (except to enforce bedtimes, if you're concerned about that). Though, do check out those device's parental controls for other available content restrictions.

Mobile devices: our recommended setup

Here's what we recommend to parents looking for oversight of their kids' mobile devices using parental control software or a service like Screenable.

If the below setup doesn't match yours right now, don't worry, give yours a try – but if you still struggle, then consider buying a used device or two to make things simpler. It's possible to get a ~$100 iPad on eBay (or other sites with refurbished devices) that might have some dings and scratches but otherwise work great for video streaming, lightweight games, and web browsing.

  1. It works best if kids are allocated separate devices, rather than using shared devices with each other or with parents. This is because it's very difficult to use parental controls when multiple people use the same device, as the accounting inevitably gets messed up and requires manual fixes (which pretty much nobody has time for 🙂).
    • Note that this does NOT mean giving your kid their own device. You can still set family rules that these devices must remain in common rooms (maybe even underscored by having their chargers there) and parents must always be asked before they're used.
    • If you're not ready for kids having their own devices, check out how to set up a shared family device.
  2. Kids should be signed into their own platform account (i.e. Apple/iCloud or Google) on these devices, since it allows parents to manage those profiles remotely, rather than just using the on-device parental controls, which would force parents to physically access the devices and type in the passcode (and which can be pretty inconvenient).
    1. Note that this doesn't have to mean giving kids their own online accounts or starting their digital footprints. These can be accounts that only you know the password to, or even dummy/fake accounts you create temporarily, to dispose of later.
  3. It works best if a kid's phone & tablet are on the same platform (Apple or Android), because then it's usually more seamless to manage them in one place, allowing kids to use them interchangeably. It's also ideal if that platform is the same as your (the parent's) primary phone, so you can manage everything straight from your device.
    • Some services promise to glue everything together behind the scenes for you, but in our experience this is a more brittle setup – and generally you'll also want to take advantage of some of the platform's built-in parental control features that 3rd party services can't access, making it more difficult if devices are cross-platform.
  4. If your kid has a mobile device that is strictly for reading or audiobooks (like a Kindle), consider excluding that from screen time limits.

Note that Screenable currently only works for iOS devices. (Please see full device compatibility details.) Let us know if you're eager for us to expand to Android!