How much screen time do your children have a day?

[RedRobyn24]

I have young children, a 1yo and a 5yo for context

I’m just struggling a lot lately and I’m very strict about screen time, just wondering what others are doing and if maybe I should relax a bit more

Those who have school age children and are saying no tablets: do they not do maths or English apps from school on a tablet? Rockstars or similar?

we have primary school aged children and don’t watch any tv mon-fri and probably average about an hour over the weekend. But they’ve always done 10/20 mins of English /maths everyday on a tablet. (As well as reading)

My year 2 child doesn’t have anything like that from her school at the moment. I have a feeling they do in KS2.

Both mine (age 2 &7) get 20mins in the mornings and about 30mins after school/before dinner. It’s their down time after a long busy day of school/activities and I don’t see a problem with it. We’ve only just bought a table for our eldest to play games (she’s never asked for one and nor into games) but school actually think it would be beneficial for her abstract thinking/problem solving skills which she struggles with despite being exposed to lots!

Mine are 1.5 and 4. None for the 1.5 year old, barring I watch a few minutes of the Baby Club with her when brushing her teeth morning and evening to save a battle!! None for the 4 year old Mon-Fri and she watches 0-2 hours of TV (film/iPlayer, etc.) a day on Sat and Sun. I find it can make her grumpy and emotional (even innocuous stuff on iPlayer) so it's not really worth it letting her have too much. I'm definitely stricter than local friends, but it works for us and that's all that matters to me! As she doesn't watch very much, she properly sits and rests and enjoys it, so we both get a proper break when it's on.

3 year old gets 3 tv programmes - any length - from BBC. Older kids get 2 hours a day of TV or video games. School app time is extra.

3&4 year old watch probably 30 mins to an hour of tv a day depending on what's happening.

Tween DD probably spends around an hour playing games on her tablet and video calling her friends after school, then will watch 30 mins or so of TV with me in the evenings.

At the weekends we might all watch a film together so a bit extra.

I'm a single parent so it's necessary sometimes to keep them occupied while I get the essentials done.

Oh gosh mine are having loads lately. It will be less in summer

5yo gets up at 6am by himself and watches an hour of ceebeebies. Toddle and baby wake up later and no tv for them.

week days - an hour or two 4-6pm Bluey or similar

weekends. Probably a film at some point. Maybe 2 in a row for 5 yo while baby and toddler nap on occasion

Mine (age 5) watches maybe 1 episode of something while his dad showers at 6.30am.

Then again after school between 4 and 5 but only generally in the winter, as we're outside until bedtime in the summer, if it's nice.

Maybe a film before tea at the weekend.

No tablets, no phone, no you tube videos etc. He's never been given anything to watch when he was in a pushchair, a restaurant or a car.

Not because I'm a saint, but we never did growing up as it was the 80s/90s, so it didn't occur to us to do so either. He Ioves a long car journey, observes absolutely everything and boy do we get a non stop commentary! 🤣

No, no apps for homework. It wouldn’t work at our school, 95% of families are screen-free.

DS is 4, he doesn’t use any devices unless we’re on a plane or a long train ride. On days he’s at nursery, he has maybe 45 minutes of TV and more like 2-3 hours on weekend days spread around plenty of playing and activities.

He did watch a lot of TV as a baby and toddler, as he was a nightmare to keep occupied. I always watched it with him to make it an interactive experience, and it’s done him no harm. His speech, attention span and imaginative play have always been unusually good for his age.

My 3 and a half year old niece does not have any screen time. She doesn’t watch TV and no way on earth would she be allowed an iPad.

We just have TV, no tablets. Mine are two and five.

However, it does sometimes amount to quite a lot. It depends … on when they get up, what is on that day, the weather, moods.

Yesterday they had barely any as DD had ballet in the morning and DS had a swimming lesson, then they were at a party in the afternoon which took up most of the day. Today has been harder. Ds had rugby in the morning and I know dd was watching tv home with DH. Then DH was out this evening so I put it on while I made the dinner. Ds also watched it while bathed dd and read to her.

What I have started being firm about is what they watch, i have completely banned YouTube for them both as ds was starting to get very rude and I think that was Vlad and Nikki if anyone knows it.

7yo gets 20 mins of Minecraft creative mode time a day depending on good behaviour (time can get taken off or removed altogether). Prob between 30 and 90 mins of TV depending on day of the way. Often watch a movie together at the weekends. He’s big on Horrible Histories and will happily watch two of those which is nearly an hour. But he’s only allowed to watch YouTube and he has to tell me what he’s going to watch and can’t then change it.

For the most part, my 2.5 year only old watches a 2 minute toothbrushing song daily.

On rare occasions they are poorly we do have the TV for some of the day and watch slow things like nutbrown hare, or videos of steam trains.

DD is nearly 6 and I don't monitor it. She's always happily being busy, drawing or writing a story, making something or playing with her dolls or at a club or hobby so if in between all that she fits in a few episodes of whatever she's currently into on Netflix, fair play to her. She's currently into Beat Bugs and DH is very much enjoying her growing interest in the Beatles.

Mine are 4, 6, 6 and 8
During the week, they get up to half an hour of TV time before school assuming they are dressed and ready to go first.

In the evening they get to play on their tablets for around half an hour once homework is done. It's all educational maths and English games that they have from school.
Then the eldest tends to watch a tv programme with me once the younger ones are in bed for an hour or so but its up to her what we do so sometimes we play board games or read. Depending on whats on tv at the time.

At the weekend I tend to be a bit looser about it.
Saturday they get an hour of tablet/game console time once home work is done
We watch TV all together on Saturday evening or we watch a film for a couple of hours.

Sunday They get a couple of hours of tablet/console time but if they are playing nicely together I sometimes let them have a bit longer.
The eldest gets to watch something with me for an hour again if she wants.

I think these things very much depend on the child though.
The 8 year old has always been fine with screens. They don't impact her behaviour, and she will come off when asked with no fuss. She was never overly bothered and when given the choice would choose a variety of activities some screens some not. So I used to be less strict with timings etc

But the 6 year olds struggle and need obvious time limits so they know how much time they get and when they are coming off. If I gave them the choice (and I do sometimes as a treat in the holidays) they would just be on screens. The 4 year old isn't bothered so far but that might change as she gets older.

4-5yrs. 0-1hrs during the weekdays. Weekends it completely depends. We’re always out for the most part, but usually a bit to let them chill before bed. Sometimes an afternoon film or even two depending on the day/weather. Not really had an issue with it. They can easily last lunch/dinners out for a 2/3hr meal (we don’t use screens out). Use screens for long journeys. I’m always amazed about the stuff they learn from it, I’ve had to google a few facts they’ve told me and they’re always right!!

5 year old DS - used to do no screens in the week apart from a bit of TV we watch in my room together before bed but I’ve recently started letting him play on his switch for half an hour in the evenings now whilst I’m having a shower etc.

On the weekend it’s different and as long as we’ve been out (ie day out/fresh air in the park/visiting family etc) then I typically let him choose when he wants to go on his screens. Typically it’ll be 2 hours or so of playing on his switch and then the rest of the day he enjoys playing with his Legos / toys etc and we usually watch a movie on a Sunday too which I guess adds a couple of extra hours of screentime too.

3.5 and 1 here, nothing on nursery days (3 per week), non nursery week days it goes on if it's awful weather, weekends they're allowed it on both days but tbh it's usually just one or neither as we're often out. Each 'session' is either an 'old' film eg bedknobs and broomsticks or two short things like a Julia Donaldson thing or something. Also v into David Attenborough. 1 year old not remotely interested. No iPads or anything like that

Varies, mine are 7, 4 and 1.

1yo only watches telly for about 5-10 mins at a time, unless they're really sick. So I'd say they generally have about an hour a week? Broken up into small chunks. Usually the 3 days they're at nursery they won't have any then.

4yo - I think about 4.5hrs a week. Occasionally more like 5.5 or even 6hrs if watched a film on the weekend. Again on the 3 days they're at nursery usually none on those days.

7yo - about 4hrs a week with us but again maybe a bit more if watched a film on the weekend. However they go to their DGPs once a week after school and I think they basically sit in front of the TV for about 2hrs then. Which I hate and they know I hate it but they still allow it and I don't think it's a hill for me to die on ultimately.

Loads .. but home education.. so loads on line. Plus zoom lessons etc..( Grandkids) .. if you mean for pleasure .. please say so.

7 year old none during the week, an hour tonight watching last night's masked singer together and more yesterday, we're trying to finish off some decorating so after being out earlier in the day ds and I watched an episode of a series of unfortunate incidents and gladiators with dinner between the two, while DH finished off some flat pack. We're usually quite busy and not a TV on in the background house. Last weekend we watched gladiators and that was it but we were out a lot.

Mine are 4 and 8.

Nothing in the week (we have a screen free week) then weekend they get 1-1.30hrs of screens of their choice. Plus usually 1 family movie a weekend. We are more relaxed in winter but then have less screens generally in summer.

5 year old, averages out at about 30 minutes a week of TV, if that. He doesn’t ask for it anymore and would rather do crafts etc. Was more when he was younger, have gradually reduced over time.

Probably too much by other people's standards, but on a horrible wet weekend like we've just had, there's nothing nicer than snuggling up under blankets and watching films.

During the week not much at all really as she's at wraparound until 5pm then it's generally bath then bed (she's 6).