Screen time guidelines: The new rules for raising kids with phones

Years ago, the prevailing screen time advice for parents was this: Set a limit for your kids and stick to it.

Parenting today is a lot more complicated, and even the experts have adjusted their advice for how to reduce screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced that it’s more about routines, context and conversation around screens, not hard limits. Tools like Verizon Family Plus can help put those routines in place. Routines might look like:

• Consistent timeframes each day when the Wi-Fi just turns off
• Apps that get automatically blocked before they get installed
• Checking in more on what kids are actually using their phones for

Below, see how those rules have evolved, and how to make them work in your everyday life with a screen time parental control app.

Then: “You get one hour of screen time a day.”

Now: Build in screen time routines that turn on and off automatically.

Research from the pandemic showed that children with consistent media routines tend to have lower recreational screen use and healthier digital habits. So the “you’ve got five more minutes” approach can quickly become a negotiation.

Try this: Parents can create custom schedules using apps like Verizon Family Plus that automatically limit phone use at certain times. Families can turn off Wi-Fi and data access during set times, such as:

• 30 minutes before school
• 1 hour during homework or writing
• Bedtime or night hours

Then: “Block everything.”

Now: Open access gradually as they show they can handle it.

Early parental control tools often focused on blocking everything. The goal now is to help kids develop their own sense of judgment so parents can open these screen experiences as kids mature.

Try this: Verizon Family Plus includes smart family controls that allow parents to customize what they block, so the settings can change as the child grows. For example, the app can block:

• Specific apps
• Certain websites
• Entire categories like games or social media

The goal is to help kids develop their own sense of what’s good for them. Parents can loosen or tighten these controls as kids mature.

Then: Screen time was a black box.

Now: You get weekly reports and insights to guide conversations.

A kid on a phone could be doing anything: texting friends, watching videos, disappearing into group chats. Research shows it matters which one. Kids tend to have healthier outcomes when parents understand what’s happening on their kids’ screens, not just how long they’re using them.

That’s where tools like Verizon Family Plus come in. It shows specific activity insights like:

• Time spent on apps
• Who they’re calling and texting over the Verizon network
• Websites they visit

The new rules aren’t about control. They’re about helping kids build their own sense of balance with technology. Digital parenting is evolving, too. It used to mean limiting screens. Now it’s about helping kids learn how to manage those screens, and giving parents better tools to guide that process.

We’ve got you: You’re there for them with Verizon Family. Verizon’s there for you — including our 3-year price lock*.

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