How much screen time is too much? A by-age reality check
Under 2, avoid solo screens; ages 2–5, about an hour of high-quality content a day; ages 6–12, roughly one to two hours recreational; teens, judge by displacement rather than by clock. Screen time is too much when it is eating sleep, school, friendships, movement or mood — those five signals beat any number.
What the guidance actually says
- Under 18 months: video calls with family only.
- 18–24 months: high-quality content, watched together, briefly.
- Ages 2–5: about one hour a day of high-quality programming on weekdays, co-viewed where possible.
- Ages 6–12: no fixed official number. Roughly 1–2 hours recreational on school days is where most paediatric advice lands, with sleep, activity and schoolwork protected first.
- Teens: totals stop being the useful measure. Judge by what the screen is displacing.
Note what the guidance does not do: it does not distinguish an hour of a chatbot from an hour of cartoons. That distinction is now yours to make, and it's the subject of our screen time rules for kids in the AI age.
The five signs that matter more than the number
- Sleep. Later bedtimes, harder wake-ups, or a device in the bedroom overnight. This is the first domino.
- Mood on exit. Ordinary reluctance is fine; genuine distress or rage when a screen ends is a signal.
- School. Homework that arrives finished but unexplainable, or work that stops getting started at all.
- Friendships. Online contact replacing in-person contact, rather than adding to it.
- Interest collapse. Things they used to love — sport, drawing, an instrument — quietly stopping.
If none of those five are moving, your family is probably fine even if the total looks high. If two or more are moving, the total is too high regardless of what it is.
The AI-specific version of "too much"
There's a newer signal worth adding: work that is finished fast and can't be explained out loud. That's not a screen-time problem, it's an outsourcing problem, and it responds to a different fix — the signs are in is AI doing your kid's homework.
When you're unsure about a specific assignment, paste it into the AI homework checker for a plain-language read on whether it shows real thinking. If they're stuck rather than shortcutting, explain my kid's homework gets them moving again in a few minutes instead of an evening.
What to do with the answer
If you've decided it's too much, don't start with a number — start with the defaults. How to reduce screen time without a nightly fight covers the changes that hold, and our plans give each child in the house their own profile if you're managing different rules for different ages.
Frequently asked questions
How much screen time is too much for a 10-year-old?
Most guidance lands around one to two hours of recreational screen time on school days for ages 6–12, with homework and creative use counted separately. Treat that as a starting point and adjust based on sleep, mood, schoolwork, friendships and interests — those five signals matter more than the total.
Is screen time before bed really that bad?
Yes, and it's the most consistent finding in the area. Screens in the hour before sleep delay bedtime and reduce sleep quality, and a device left in a bedroom overnight extends use invisibly. Charging devices outside bedrooms is the highest-value single rule.
Does homework on a laptop count as screen time?
Not usefully. Counting schoolwork against a recreational limit makes the rule feel arbitrary to a child. Cap passive and engagement-optimised use, and keep learning, creating and family connection outside the cap.
What are the warning signs of too much screen time?
Disrupted sleep, disproportionate distress when a screen ends, slipping schoolwork, online contact replacing in-person friendships, and dropping activities they used to enjoy. Two or more of those moving at once means the total is too high whatever the clock says.
Have a specific piece of homework in mind?
Paste it — or a screenshot of it — into the Homework Check on our homepage and ask your question. You'll get a plain-language read on whether the thinking looks like your kid's, what stood out, and the questions worth asking them. First check is free.