The 80/20 Screen Time Strategy

If you are around my age, you didn’t grow up with screens and have no point of reference on how to parent around these buggers. Well, let me tell you… We are all figuring this out together.

My kids would say 10 hours of screen time isn’t enough. It’s ridiculous.

I have a strategy to get you started. It won’t solve everything, but it’s a good first step. I want to encourage you to adapt and change it to work for your family. It starts with planning the limit.

Screens can easily become a problem. Especially for our impulsive, hyper-focused, obsessing, addiction prone, ADHD kiddos.

How much screen time should we allow? Well, that's the question, isn't it? The amount of screen time we allow tends to be very situational. Have you noticed this? For this reason, there is no magic number of hours because there can't be. Every family's needs are different.

We do know three things for sure:

• ADHD brains struggle to stop. Screen time magnifies this challenge (and does some strange reworking of the mood too). It’s a perfect storm for arguing when we tell them to “get off the screens.”
  

• Somehow, we have to teach our children how manage their time on screens. Screens aren’t going away, and they’ll have to learn to impose limits somehow.

• Kids need some autonomy, in order to effectively learn these things. Autonomy is part of independence, and that’s where the growth lives. We can’t completely take over, because that’s not healthy for them either.

How to not let screens take over summer.

The 80/20 Screen Time Strategy works because it gives our kids the freedom of choice within healthy limits. It is an approach in which screen time limits are preset to 20% of the child’s “Unscheduled Time.” Once the time is up, we provide opportunities to earn more time through good deeds such as helpful chores.

With this strategy, we reposition ourselves from being screen police to bestowers of additional screen time.

Separate Scheduled vs. Unscheduled

“Scheduled Time” includes the obligations, responsibilities, and appointments. These are the “have to” items of the day. Scheduled time would include school, appointments, sports, dinner, as well as drive time, pre-planned play dates, and bedtime.

“Unscheduled Time” is basically all of the little moments in between scheduled obligations. These are the periods of time during which our kids can decide for themselves what they'd like to do. Probably screens. They probably want to do screens. Anything screens. Probably.

Calculate 20%

Roughly calculate about 20% of that time. It’s easiest to round up, and it doesn’t have to be exact.

Screen Time Settings

Lastly, we use our parent controls to set the total screen time limit to that 20%(ish) number. We will let the timer be the enforcer of this 20% limit.

Pro Tips:

• After their 20% time runs out, if they'd like more time, they can earn it with good deeds.

• Round up. This strategy really limits screen time, so give them the benefit of extra time.

• Use this strategy with the Super Simple Schedule or Summer Days Pages for an extra boost.

Was this helpful?

Consider grabbing this free chapter of my future book, related to to this post. The offer is available through July 30th only.

Up Next...