What age do you / did you / will you stop controlling your children’s «screen time»?

[Watchagotcha]

Inspired by the 12-yr-old-in-bedroom thread I guess. My children are 12 and 9 yrs. ATM we are quite generous with screen time as long as everything else (school, homework, chores, outside / sports time) is done. However, I’m finding that «screen time» is expanding all the time because it encompasses so many different activities ! Ds12 uses a screen of some sort (iPad, PS4, phone, TV) to:

Check his homework / grades/ msgs from school
Access online-only textbooks and resources
Play games (Fortnite) with friends / cousins / self
Play building / evolution solo games that he plays alone
Watch YouTube vids
Watch manga / anime that none of the rest of us like but he loves
Chat /arrange dates with his friends on WhatsApp and Discord and text msg
TV to watch CBBC / Netflix

Atm we are finding it particularly hard to control phone time. The rule is that phones are not kept overnight and they are left in the living room. All screens stop around 8pm, except tv which he might watch till 8:30.

At which point does he get to choose? What age do you stop telling them when to put the phone / IPad away?

After GCSEs.

What age is that? I’m not in the UK: it was still O levels in my time ;-) thanks

Same age as O levels so the academic year you turn 16.

Though if GCSEs were a year earlier, I'd still say 'after GCSEs'.

So 'after any important exams that occur age 14-16' is probably my country-independent stance. Basically don't let stupid screen behaviour screw up an exam year.