Screen time rules by age: starting sheets for ages 0 to 17

Each age has a different job. For young children, the grown-up chooses the content and watches along. For school-age children, you set the limits and the apps. For teenagers, the rules shift toward agreed boundaries and safety basics, and the child takes on more of the choosing. These sheets give a starting point for each stage. Use the numbers from the screen time by age guide as the reference, and adjust for your child.

Use one sheet per child. Two children of the same age can still need different rules, because of their sleep, their school load, and how well they handle screens.

Ages 0 to 5

Time: Mostly watched together, under about one hour a day, and no screens in the hour before bed. For ages 2 to 5, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests about an hour a day of high-quality programming, with a grown-up watching or joining in.

Content and access: Kids profiles only. No app store access. Pick the shows and apps yourself. Choose slower, calmer content over fast, bright autoplay.

Settings to use:

• Kids profiles on Netflix and YouTube Kids, with the strictest rating.
• Downtime on the family tablet, set to bedtime.
• App store purchases off.
• Voice purchasing off on any smart speaker.

What to watch for: Sleep, mood after screens, and whether the child can stop when you ask. If stopping is hard, make the stop part of the routine, with a warning five minutes before the end.

Change it at age 6: Start a simple written rule and a fixed daily block.

Ages 6 to 9

Time: About one to two hours of recreational screens on a weekday, with a little more on weekends. These are guidelines, so set your own. Fixed blocks work best at this age.

Content and access: You approve every download and purchase. Keep devices in shared areas where you can see what's happening. Use age ratings on games and videos, and keep YouTube on a supervised or restricted setting.

Settings to use:

• Family Link or Screen Time with a bedtime and a daily limit.
• App limits for games and video.
• Ask to Buy or Google Play approval on.
• Netflix and YouTube set to the child's profile and rating.
• Roblox parent account linked, with spending limits and chat turned off or limited to friends the child knows.

What to watch for: Whether your child can name what they're playing or watching, and whether they stop at the end of a block without a fight. Talk about one thing you saw each week.

Change it at age 10: Start talking about phones and messaging, and set up a plan for when a phone comes.

Ages 10 to 12

Time: Set limits by app and by time of day, not one total. Devices go off overnight and charge in a shared room, such as the kitchen.

Content and access: Start supervised messaging with a short list of people the child knows in real life. Restrict group chats, or sit in on the setup. Review purchases once a month.

Settings to use:

• Communication limits on phones, so only approved people can call or message.
• App limits for social apps, even if the child doesn't have an account yet.
• Downtime that includes the overnight hours.
• Teen account settings if the child is old enough to join an app that has them.
• Location sharing on, for safety, and reviewed together.

What to watch for: Friend drama, new contacts, and any signs of sleep loss. Ask open questions, such as "What was the best part of your day online?" Avoid asking only about the bad parts.

Change it at age 13: Shift from setting rules to agreeing them. Many social apps have a minimum age of 13, so check each one's rules before an account is made.

Ages 13 to 15

Time: Agree on limits together, and set them by app and by day. Phones charge outside the bedroom at night. A weekly bank of minutes can work well here, because the teenager learns to plan.

Content and access: Teen accounts on social apps, with the strictest privacy settings. Talk about what they see: harmful content, scams, pressure, and how to leave a conversation they don't like. Agree on who they can message and how.

Settings to use:

• Teen account settings on Instagram and TikTok, with a family pairing if you've agreed on it.
• Screen Time or Family Link downtime, agreed with your child, not set in secret.
• Purchase approvals still on, for money and downloads.
• Location sharing for emergencies, agreed together.

What to watch for: Sleep, mood, and secrecy. A teenager who wants more privacy isn't always in trouble. Ask what they need, and say what you need. If you're checking their messages, tell them so. Hidden checks damage trust fast.

Change it at age 16: Move toward self-management, with the safety basics still in place.

Ages 16 to 17

Time: Mostly self-managed. Agree on the things that matter to your family, such as sleep, school work, and time with the family.

Content and access: Keep the safety basics: location for emergencies, purchase approval, and an agreement about what to do if something goes wrong online. Talk about relationships, money, and online scams.

Settings to use:

• Light-touch settings, mostly on the devices they share with the family.
• Purchase approvals, if you pay for their apps or games.
• Location sharing agreed together.

What to watch for: Whether the child can talk to you when something goes wrong. That matters more than any setting.

How to use the sheets

Pick the age sheet that matches your child now, and look at the next one so you know what's coming. Set the rules, then write them into the family agreement. Check the printable checklist to make sure each setting is in place. Review the sheet every few months, and whenever your child changes school, starts a new app, or has a birthday.

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. For a younger child, Peabody can be one of the short, approved blocks on the sheet. For an older child, count it in the same weekly total as the other apps.

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics, media and young minds guidance (2016), and its Family Media Plan tool.
• Official age minimums and teen account pages for the social apps your child uses. Check them before an account is made.

These sheets are starting points, not medical advice. Your child's sleep, school and mood are the best guide to whether a rule is working.