The "two hours of screen time per day" guideline? It's basically useless in 2026. Thirty minutes of Duolingo is not the same as thirty minutes of doomscrolling TikTok. An hour building in Minecraft with friends is not the same as an hour of YouTube shorts.

What to do instead: Think about screen time in three buckets:

Set looser limits on the first two, tighter ones on the third. A kid who spent three hours making a Roblox game had a very different day than one who spent three hours watching other people play Roblox.

You wouldn't hand your kid the car keys without teaching them to drive. Same principle applies to digital spaces.

Before your kid gets independent access to YouTube, Roblox, Discord, or any social platform, spend real time using it with them. Not hovering over their shoulder—actually participating. Play the games they're playing. Watch the YouTubers they're watching. Join their Among Us game and be terrible at it.

This serves two purposes: you learn what they're actually experiencing, and you build a foundation for ongoing conversations. When something weird happens later, they're more likely to tell you because you already speak the language.

Age guideline: For kids under 10, co-use should be the default. For 10-13, start with co-use then gradually increase independence with check-ins. For 13+, you're moving toward trust-but-verify mode.

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot—these aren't going away, and your kids are already using them for homework whether you know it or not. The question isn't whether they should use AI, it's how to use it without short-circuiting their actual learning.

The power tool analogy works perfectly: A 7-year-old shouldn't use a table saw unsupervised, but a 16-year-old learning carpentry absolutely should. Same with AI. Elementary schoolers using ChatGPT to write their book reports? That's a problem. High schoolers using it to brainstorm essay outlines, debug code, or learn concepts? That's the future of work.

Practical approach:

Learn more about AI safety for kids

Kids need to be bored. Not "entertained by a different activity" bored—actually, genuinely, staring-at-the-ceiling bored. This is when creativity happens, when they learn to generate their own entertainment, when their brains process and consolidate everything they've learned.

The problem: screens have eliminated almost all boring time. Waiting at the doctor's office? Phone. Car ride? iPad. Five minutes before dinner? YouTube shorts.

The fix: Designate screen-free boring time. Not "go read a book" time (that's not boring, that's a different activity). Just... time. In the car. Before bed. Saturday morning. Whenever works for your family.

Will they complain? Absolutely. Will they survive? Also absolutely. And they'll probably end up building a blanket fort, inventing a game, or finally organizing their Pokemon cards.

When your kid says "everyone has TikTok" or "everyone plays Fortnite until midnight," they're not lying—they're reporting their perceived reality. But their sample size is about 12 kids.

Actual data helps. In most communities:

Screenwise helps you see what's actually happening in your specific community, which makes it way easier to hold boundaries when you can say "actually, about half of your grade doesn't have Instagram yet" instead of just "I don't care what everyone else is doing."

Understanding what's age-appropriate for different platforms gives you the confidence to make decisions that work for your family, not just react to peer pressure.

Where screens are used matters as much as when and how long.

Tech-free zones to consider:

The inverse also works: tech-encouraged zones. Maybe the family computer is in the living room where you can casually see what's happening. Maybe the Switch stays in the playroom where siblings have to negotiate sharing. Maybe iPads are for car trips and waiting rooms.

Physical boundaries are easier to enforce than time boundaries because they don't require constant monitoring.

If your kid doesn't understand why Roblox, TikTok, and YouTube are free, they don't understand the internet.

The conversation to have: "These apps are free because you're not the customer—you're the product. They make money by keeping you on the app as long as possible and showing you ads or getting you to buy stuff. The longer you watch, the more money they make. That's why the algorithm keeps suggesting 'one more video.'"

This isn't about scaring them off technology—it's about digital literacy. Once kids understand the business model, they can make more informed choices about their attention.

Follow-up questions to ask:

Understanding how Robux actually works is a great entry point for these conversations.

By 4th or 5th grade, kids are getting added to group chats. This is where a lot of digital drama happens—screenshots, exclusion, inappropriate content getting shared, messages taken out of context.

Before they join their first group chat, talk about:

Most importantly: make sure they know they can show you the chat if something feels off, and you won't immediately confiscate their phone. You're the safety net, not the punishment.

Kids are watching how you use your phone. They notice when you're scrolling during dinner, checking email during their soccer game, or having "just one more minute" turn into twenty.

This is the hardest tip on the list because it requires us to examine our own habits. But it's also the most important. You cannot successfully enforce screen boundaries you don't follow yourself.

Practical modeling:

The goal isn't perfection—it's awareness and intentionality. When you mess up (and you will), acknowledge it. "Sorry, I got sucked into Instagram when I meant to just check one thing" is a valuable lesson.

Every family has different values around technology, and that's fine. Some families are more restrictive, some more permissive. Some prioritize creative screen time, others prioritize outdoor time. Some allow gaming on weekdays, others don't.

The key is being intentional and consistent about your family's values, not just reacting to what other families do or what the latest panic article says.

Try this exercise: Sit down as a family and answer these questions:

Then build your rules and boundaries around those answers. When your kid inevitably asks "why can't I have TikTok when everyone else does," you can point back to your family values: "We decided we want to prioritize in-person time with friends right now" or "We're waiting until you're 14 because we want you to have more practice with social dynamics first."

This approach works way better than arbitrary rules that feel like they came from nowhere.

Digital wellness in 2026 isn't about finding the perfect screen time number or the perfect parental control app. It's about building habits, having conversations, and making intentional choices that align with your actual family values.

You're going to mess up. Your kids are going to mess up. That's fine—it's all part of learning to navigate a world where the digital and physical are completely intertwined.

The goal isn't to raise kids who never touch screens. It's to raise kids who can use technology intentionally, critically, and in a way that enhances their lives instead of consuming them.

Start with one or two of these tips, see what works for your family, and adjust from there. Digital parenting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Ready to get more specific? Screenwise can help you understand what's actually happening in your community, get personalized recommendations based on your family's situation, and answer the specific questions you're dealing with right now.

Whether you're trying to figure out if your 10-year-old is ready for Roblox, what to do about YouTube, or how to talk about AI with your teen, we've got you covered.

Because the best digital wellness strategy is the one you'll actually stick with—and that starts with having the right information for your specific family.