Screen time limits on every device: a parent's guide

Set limits in layers, and start with the device your child uses most. Each device has its own built-in controls for time, apps, content and purchases. The home Wi-Fi adds a second layer, and each app's own settings add a third. No single tool covers everything, so the job is to pick a goal list, set the device controls first, and check them once a week.

This guide covers what each layer does, how to set up each common device, how to build a schedule, and where the gaps are. For how much time is right at each age, read screen time and internet time by age. For the rules at each age, see the age sheets.

Start with goals, not settings

Write down three to five goals before you open a single settings screen. Most families want some version of these:

• Time: how much per day and per week, and when (school nights, weekends, bedtime).
• Content: which apps, games and videos suit this child's age.
• People: who can message, call or friend your child.
• Money: what can be bought, and who says yes.
• Places: where devices are allowed, such as not in bedrooms overnight or not at the table.

Goals make the settings easy. "No phone after 8 pm" is one downtime setting. "Only approved apps" is one approval setting. Without goals, it is easy to switch on forty options and still have no plan.

Know the four layers

A third-party monitoring app (Bark, Qustodio, Net Nanny and similar) adds activity reports and alerts across devices. It costs money, and it can feel intrusive to an older child, so it is optional. Most families get far with the first two layers plus a regular conversation.

Rule of thumb: set the device layer on every device the child can use. Add the router or DNS layer for home Wi-Fi. Add app settings for anything with chat, friends or shopping.

Device by device

Apple (iPhone, iPad, Mac). Open Settings → Screen Time. You need Family Sharing, and under-13 accounts are managed by you. Set Downtime (for example 8 pm to 7 am), App Limits by category or by app, Always Allowed for phone calls and any apps that must work during downtime, Content & Privacy Restrictions for ratings, web filtering, app installs and in-app purchases, and Communication Limits for who can reach your child. Turn on Ask to Buy so you approve every purchase. Set a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know, and keep it separate from the device passcode.

Android and Chromebooks. Install Google Family Link on your phone and link your child's account. Set Bedtime and a Daily limit, use Bonus time when your child has earned extra, and set App limits. Under Google Play, turn on approval for downloads and purchases. Under content settings, set Google Play ratings, SafeSearch and Chrome site filters.

Windows PC and Xbox. Use Microsoft Family Safety, either through the Family Safety app or the family page on your Microsoft account. You can set screen-time limits per device, filters for Edge and Bing, app and game limits, purchase approvals and weekly activity reports. Xbox family settings sit alongside these and include spending limits.

PlayStation. Open Family Management on the PlayStation website or app. Set playtime limits, spending limits, and what your child can do in chat and with user-made content.

Nintendo Switch. Install the free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app on your phone. It sets a daily play limit, a bedtime alarm and game ratings, and it can pause play from your phone.

Amazon Fire tablets and Echo speakers. Create a kids profile in the parent dashboard. Set time limits, a bedtime, content filters and goals. On Alexa devices, turn off voice purchasing and limit skills to the kids profile.

Smart TVs and streaming. Netflix has a kids profile with a maturity rating and an optional profile lock PIN. On YouTube, use a supervised account through Family Link for children under 13, or the YouTube Kids app for younger children. Choose a content level, such as Explore or Most of YouTube. On a regular account, turn on Restricted Mode. Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV each have their own rating and purchase settings.

Specific apps. Roblox lets you link a parent account, set chat and friend permissions, limit spending and add a parental PIN. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Discord have teen or family settings. Turn them on before the account is set up, if you can.

Build the schedule

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2016 guidance recommends about one hour a day of high-quality programming for ages 2 to 5, with a grown-up watching, and consistent limits on time and type of media for children 6 and older. Use these as a starting point, then adjust for your family.

A weekday schedule that works for many families:

• Before school: no recreational screens. Use the time to get ready.
• After school: homework first, then one free-time block (for example 60 minutes).
• Dinner: a device-free family meal.
• Evening: a second block only once homework and chores are done.
• Bedtime: downtime for every device, with devices charging outside the bedroom.

A weekend schedule usually works best as a daily total, such as two to three hours, spread across the day. Keep meals and outings device-free.

For older children, a weekly bank of minutes can work well. They choose how to spend it and learn to plan. For younger children, fixed blocks are easier to follow.

Lock the settings

Most children can get around controls if they know a passcode or have an adult account. To keep the setup solid:

• Use a different passcode for each layer: device, Screen Time or Family Link, and router.
• Store the passcodes in a password manager, not in a note on the device.
• Don't leave an adult account signed in on a child's device.
• Check the settings after every major system update. Updates can reset them.

Watch for common workarounds: a second account, a changed time zone, a VPN, private browsing, a friend's or grandparent's device, and cellular data that goes around home Wi-Fi rules. A school-managed Chromebook follows the school's rules, not yours, so talk with the school about what it allows.

Enforce it in a fair order

Decide the consequences before you need them:

1. A reminder of the rule.
2. No earned bonus time that day.
3. The device goes into downtime for a set number of hours.
4. A family meeting to review the agreement and change it if the rule isn't working.

Short, predictable consequences work better than long, unpredictable ones. Taking a phone for weeks rarely teaches the lesson you want.

Check in on a rhythm

• Weekly, ten minutes: look at the screen-time report, name one thing that went well, and make one small change if needed.
• Monthly: check purchases, subscriptions, new apps and contacts. Subscriptions are the most common hidden cost.
• Every few months, and at birthdays or grade changes: review the limits. A ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old need different rules.
• After any problem: talk first, then adjust the settings. Using monitoring to catch your child out damages trust, especially with teenagers.

Tell your child what you monitor and why. For older children, a shared agreement works better than secret checks. The family agreement template has a simple format for that conversation.

Peabody

Peabody is a reading and learning app with games and a library of stories. Its games are free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up. Peabody doesn't replace the controls above. Set the device layer first, then count the time your child spends on any learning app the same way you count the rest.

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics, media and young minds guidance (2016), and its Family Media Plan tool.
• Official help pages for Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link, Microsoft Family Safety, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, Amazon and Netflix. Menus change with updates, so check the current names before you set things up.

Settings change. Check each company's help page before you set a plan, and treat this guide as the plan, not the menu.