I covered three essential methods for developing better tech habits at home in the last piece. Following that, many readers asked for some specific screen-time rules they could apply. I’ve shared a few in the past, but I’m diving deeper today, sharing more specific ideas.
Below are three overarching categories for setting screen-time limits. I’ll include a mix of rule options so that you can tailor them according to the needs of your home. What works for a 10-year-old clearly won’t work for a teen. Consider your child’s maturity, schedule, sibling dynamics, and how much time adults have to monitor technology use. And that’s just the beginning. Having many ideas is helpful as kids grow up. They face more online platforms, including adult ones like 22casino. All of this highlights why having clear, consistent tech rules is essential for families today.
Let’s get started. These are the three core categories I use when organizing screen-time expectations:
- Family Time
- Study Time
- Sleep Time
Family Time In The Car (Parent Driving):
I placed this under family time. Sitting together is special. You can watch the scenery, chat a bit, or listen to the radio.
- Another option is to let teens take a short moment to look at their phones right when they get into the car before the drive starts. It may help to pause before driving so they can get it out of the way. If you’re picking them up from school and the line is moving, pull into another spot afterward so they can finish checking without pressure.
- The waiting-to-drive technique is useful because we all want to hit the road as soon as we get in the car. This keeps the time limit clear and eliminates the endless “just one more minute” requests. It also shows kids that phones don’t need to be used while the car is in motion.
The policy could be to keep phones and devices away during regular weekly drives. But for longer car rides, the rules might change.
Family Time At The Table
For meals that aren’t shared—like quick weekday breakfasts—it might be fine for kids to use their devices on a few selected mornings. Older teens often do this every morning.
The family might sit together. Everyone checks their phones for a few minutes. Then, they put them away. This approach is especially useful for families where a parent frequently needs to handle work calls during dinner. A quick check can stop that.
Study Time
Managing screen time for our kids during study hours is never simple. One of the biggest reasons I began focusing on this topic was seeing how helpful tools and harmful tech habits often get tangled together. We don’t want to play cat and mouse with children’s schoolwork. We’re not attempting to penalize or trap them. Instead, we’re working together to finish schoolwork. Kids are up against billions of digital distractions. Many things are fighting for their attention.
A specific bedtime offers a great reason to stay focused. It saves them from having to switch between tabs on their computers. They know that if they get distracted by digital playgrounds, they will be left behind in their work. The thought of your child mismanaging their time and/or falling behind in assignments can really get one nervous.
But sticking with the routine helps them practice responsibility. And if they continue to struggle, seeking guidance or extra support is completely appropriate.
If your child’s bedtime ends up being later than your own, plan to stay awake until their scheduled time at first. Once the routine becomes familiar and they reliably turn in their devices at the agreed hour, you can go back to your earlier bedtime. Many families have found this approach successful.
Sleep Time
- At night, bedrooms stay screen-free every day of the week—no devices allowed during sleep hours.
- Another option is keeping devices out of bedrooms six nights a week, with one weekend night as a special “device allowed” treat.
- You could also limit device-free bedrooms to school nights—Sunday through Thursday—while allowing more flexibility on weekends.
It’s normal to read these ideas and have thoughts like, “That one seems too relaxed,” or “That feels way too strict.” Note that families have kids of all ages and very different routines. We never fully know what each household is balancing during both tech time and nontechnology time.