Ok thanks for answering a question that is 5 years old at this point. I’m sure OP has been breathlessly waiting on this information.

Very similar to you, OP, though we do allow occasional weeknight TV if it's good quality programming and with the family. So we'll watch a nature or science program together, for instance. Often we do this if she's doing some kind of science study at school that she's exited about -- we'll look to see if NatGeo or similar have something in the subject and watch that.

DH will also occasionally play Minecraft with her outside designated screen time. Since they are playing together and it's bonding time, we bend the rules a bit.

I view solo iPad time very differently from screen time with others. I think handheld devices are the main cause of screen addiction. I've noticed it in myself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I don't personally know a single parent who lets their kids have literally unlimited screen time. I have heard of them but all the parents I know are constantly agonizing about what to do and re-calibrating from time to time.

It doesn't seem like unlimited screen time would work for anyone but I am weirdly afraid of asking her friends' parents directly. I'm afraid of coming off as judgmental. And honestly, it doesn't matter if her friends get unlimited time because there is no way we are going that route. It just wouldn't work for our family.

If you approach it with humility, no reason to be scared. Just say you’re seeking input because daughter insists she does not get enough time and you are trying to get a sense for what other parents are doing.

I have 4th graders and they get one hour a day during the week and 2 hours a day on weekends. But they must finish their homework first. They can also lose the time based on behavior. They do some of their homework on the laptop so homework is not included in screen time. I think this is pretty lenient but it is still a constant battle getting them off the screens which I’m getting really tired of so I don’t know what the correct answer is.

We allow an hour fri-sun during the sch year.

Anonymous wrote:1st grader - we do not set a limit. DD most often watches maybe 30min of tv a night during the week (right after school, she needs the downtime). Then it's homework, playtime, scooter riding, reading, etc.

Weekends it's definitely more between some tv and games, but she'd rather be doing other things. If we have a playdate I can immediately tell those kids who don't get much screen time. If there's a TV on they are GLUED to it. They rarely want to do anything else. On the flip side those who don't have limits seem to prefer playing with other kids in general, and can easily ignore the TV.

I've had the opposite experience. Kids with lots of screen time defaulting to it in their own homes (although they seem to have a good time here without it).

Anyway, I don't get this logic, as if-- even if it were true-- it proves unlimited screen time is awesome. IME, most kids with unlimited screen time cannot "take or leave it" at home-- at least, they spend a lot more time on screens, on average, than kids with limits. (I guess that might seem obvious, but a lot of parents without limits imply their kids don't use screens all that much because it's not ~*forbidden fruit*~.) So what if a kid who watches an hour a week is glued to screens at the house of a kid who watches 3 hours a day (especially when you average in weekends)? Of course, quantity is not the only measure of what is healthy-- but 1 hour/week at home + 50 hours/year on playdates (probably not nearly that high, but okay) = ~100 hours/year. 3 hours/day x 365 days = more than 1000 hours/year.

Mine get unlimited screen time (I got unlimited TV when I was a kid and eventually got a full D1 athletic scholarship, so laziness and TV/screens aren't synonymous).

That said, what you do doesn't seem unreasonable OP. Limited, yes, but NBD.

None. Not unless she's home sick from school, or we're on vacation.

I think you're right on, OP. Our elementary schooler (7) gets no screentime M-Thursday. He gets some computer time on Friday mornings (PBS Kids games, mostly for now) before the bus and about 1 hour of TV time per day on Saturday and Sunday, dependent on behavior (TV time is the first thing to go if he misbehaves).

We don't have tablets. I imagine we'll have to adjust this as he gets older, but like you, we're invested in keeping his screentime on the low end of normal.