Do you think this screen time schedule is okay for a 7 year old?

[foreveryoungjustkidding]

Me and my ex are trying to come up with a screen time (phone) schedule for daughter. We have been fairly relaxed about screen time but now realise she's spending far too much time on her phone and would sit on it all day if we would let her.

We have come up with this schedule -

Monday - 6 - 6.45

Tuesday - 5.15 - 6 (due to after school activities)

Wednesday - 6 - 6.45

Thursday - 6 - 6.45

Friday - bit more relaxed/depends what plans are etc

Saturday - 2 - 2.30 (can be flexible depending on what she’s doing but 30 minutes in afternoon) and 1.5 hours at night

Sunday - 2 - 2.30 (can be flexible depending on what she’s doing but 30 minutes in afternoon) and 6 - 6.45.

Does this seem too strict? Too relaxed? Too much screen time still?

Thanks.

My 7-year-old watches shows—British Bake Off, Myth Busters, Ninja Warrior—for about an hour a day on his iPad. I don’t think it’s a big deal at all and I don’t restrict it. He is a smart kid and equally likes to play football, bake, read and help in the garden.

Wow so regimented.
I always wonder why parents let kids 'get addicted' to screens. I use screens for me, not them. They watch tv when I am tired or need to get jobs done, or it's raining or whatever. Not when they want.
So for us it's: no tv before school. Put it on after school while I make tea if you like. They often don't.
TV first thing in the morning please. Don't wake me up.
They don't have limits on it, but when I say enough, they stop.
They don't have tablets or I phones or consoles or anything else. Not going there yet (eldest is 7).

That's 'don't wake me up at the weekend' - morning tv weekends only.

Stop being so regimented.
If she needs some down time and you want to let her watch something just do it get a 30 minute timer then a screen break.
You don't need to schedule screen time.into the day.... just decide no more than an hour a time or whatever.

Several times you've said 'her phone'. Why would you need a schedule with ex. if she's on your phone.

But see this is one of those situations that is highly variable by family. I refuse to have an Alexa in the house because I don't think its secure enough to conduct work calls near. On the other hand I'm proficient enough that I can lock down an iPad or iPhone to the point that my kids can't access youtube or a browser, let alone social media, and any apps they install need my fingerprint to approve. I've got no objection to them playing on one of my old phones (without a simcard, running off my phone's hotspot) for something like Pokemon Go.
Bookmark

You can switch Alexa off. Like I do on important meetings.

Both my kids and an iPad and my 8 year old has an iMac ( which I protested against)

But they are all a tool for advancement of knowledge not to sit zombiefied at watching kinder eggs being unwrapped.

It’s no coincidence that Bill Gates never met his kids on them

Why do people think that banning screen time for kids will mean that they never develop an interest? They seem to forget that none of us who are parents now had access to phones or tablets as children yet we’re all totally screen addicted now.

It’s never good to set yourself and your children up for failure. Chances are as soon as these kids can access screens they will use them heavily just like the vast majority of the rest of us.

@user1493494961 how is that relevant to my question?

@Angelica789

Why do people think that banning screen time for kids will mean that they never develop an interest? They seem to forget that none of us who are parents now had access to phones or tablets as children yet we’re all totally screen addicted now.

It’s never good to set yourself and your children up for failure. Chances are as soon as these kids can access screens they will use them heavily just like the vast majority of the rest of us.

Absolutely.

I think parents are at an age where they want to buy the ‘best’ of everything. My ex turned with a MacBook for my dd. ( 8) It was me that then had to go through the settings to make sure sure she wasn’t watching shite. No idea of the world they are opening up..

Mobile phone are known to be addictive. Why you’d want to put your child on that path I don’t know

It seems strict because you’ve written out a schedule. But I think it’s a good thing to limit it and having a set time will make it easier for everyone.

Every day at 7 years old?!
No. Weekends for a couple of hours but not on a school night

Oh well we have no screen times and we don't restrict snacks in our house. It's a free for all. Funnily enough my daughter doesn't sit on her tablet/phone/chromebook all day and she doesn't eat herself silly.

I guess it depends on the age of your DCs and what their personalities are like. My DD (12) would happily spend all day every day on her phone if I let her so I need to have rules like her homework needs to be done first, she needs to come off it 30mind before bedtime etc.

Three quarters of an hour out of twenty four isn't very long. Don't be too rigid about timings.

It sounds ridiculously regimented. Mine are ten, no screens apart from laptop for homework Sunday afternoon to Friday after school. Weekends they can do what they want as long as homework is done and they partake in family stuff bike rides, dog walking etc.

Try didn't have any access at seven.

Give it a try op. You will get people on here screaming that they shouldnt have a phone etc. My just turned 8 has my old iphone as he is the youngest with teen brothers.

@Yellowswan
But your now 18 year old would not have had access to a smartphone at 7?
It’s not the same situation at all.

Hmm, my 7 year old has a cell and watches music videos on YouTube or listens to music on Spotify.

Which to be fair is better than most of the shit cartoons there are available anyway.

My eldest is the same age. He gets no phone time, he has a tablet but he doesn't play on it regularly.

But... he probably has Netflix on all day, he dips in and out, watches a lot of repeats and regularly leaves it to play in another room or outside.

He has no access to YouTube.

Every parent has a personal line. You will always be beating yourself up compared to one parent and feeling smug over another. We all fuck our kids up in unique ways 😁

I'll follow that up by saying that the other 95% of the time we are biking, playing outdoors, making potions, etc etc à la la famous 5.

@Susannahmoody

Hmm, my 7 year old has a cell and watches music videos on YouTube or listens to music on Spotify.

Which to be fair is better than most of the shit cartoons there are available anyway.

Are you listening to the music he is listening to though ? ..

We don't have limits on screen time. Sometimes my son just needs to zone out for a while, especially when he's been at school all day being 'good' and meeting demands. He's autistic so I try not to put unnecessary demands on him at home too.
He also watches a video before bed and sleeps fine lol, so does my youngest.

Are you listening to the music he is listening to though ? ..

^^

Yeah. A lot of Queen, Joan Jet, AC-DC and some Harry styles (unfortunately)

@nimbuscloud yes that is true and I do take your point. But times move along, at the time my 18 year old was little, mums were stressing because children’s programmes were all day, on tap, not just certain times as had gone before. They were still stressing about limiting screen time. I’m sure in 10 years time things will have evolved again.

I also have an 8 year old so well aware how times have changed. I just don’t have the energy or inclination to worry about timing him every day, if I think he’s had enough I just tell him it’s time to come off, allow him to finish a game and that’s that. It really doesn’t have to be so regimented.

Is there research about screen time on different size devices? That might be better than opinions here OP.