Screen Time Rules That Work

Screen time is out of control in our house and I need clear rules that work — not just ones I give up enforcing after a week.

Children's ages: [AGES]
Current screen time: [DESCRIBE — estimate hours per day, what they're watching/playing]
What happens when I try to limit it: [DESCRIBE the reaction]
What I've tried: [timers / no screens before homework / screen-free days / nothing formal]
My goal: [specific hours / screen-free mornings / no phones at dinner / weekday limits only]

Give me a screen time system that sticks:
1. **Age-appropriate guidelines** — what's actually recommended for these ages
2. **The rules most likely to work** — based on child psychology, not wishful thinking
3. **How to implement them** without a daily battle — getting buy-in from the start
4. **What to do when they break the rules** — consistent, calm consequences
5. **The replacement problem** — what replaces screens has to be as appealing, here's how
6. **My screens** — the conversation about modelling consistency

Screen time is out of control in our house and I need clear rules that work — not just ones I give up enforcing after a week.

Children's ages: [AGES]
Current screen time: [DESCRIBE — estimate hours per day, what they're watching/playing]
What happens when I try to limit it: [DESCRIBE the reaction]
What I've tried: [timers / no screens before homework / screen-free days / nothing formal]
My goal: [specific hours / screen-free mornings / no phones at dinner / weekday limits only]

Give me a screen time system that sticks:
1. **Age-appropriate guidelines** — what's actually recommended for these ages
2. **The rules most likely to work** — based on child psychology, not wishful thinking
3. **How to implement them** without a daily battle — getting buy-in from the start
4. **What to do when they break the rules** — consistent, calm consequences
5. **The replacement problem** — what replaces screens has to be as appealing, here's how
6. **My screens** — the conversation about modelling consistency