We've been pretty strict with my youngest, max 30 mins a day mostly educational stuff like Duolingo and Khan Academy Kids. But now that he's in kindergarten all his friends talk about YouTube videos and games and he feels left out. My wife thinks we should loosen up a bit, I'm worried about setting a bad precedent. What's reasonable for this age? How do other dads handle it?
30 mins a day is solid, especially with educational apps. My take is once they hit kindergarten they'll naturally get more screen exposure at school anyway, so keeping it structured at home like you're doing is the right call.
Kindergarten keeps them busy enough that screen time naturally gets pushed to evenings anyway. If you're keeping it educational and limited, I'd say you're doing better than most. Don't stress too hard about it.
I struggle with this constantly since I'm basically glued to screens for work. What I've found is letting my kids see me put MY phone down during family time actually matters more than the rule itself. The hypocrisy kills me otherwise.
You're doing great with 30 mins. A lot of parents let it slide way more than that. My advice would be to have alternatives ready when they want screen time but can't have it. Puzzles books outdoor time whatever. Otherwise they just ask for it constantly.
That's solid honestly. The key is consistency. If you stick with it they'll stop fighting you about it eventually. My kids used to beg for more and now they don't even ask much anymore. Just make sure you're not using screen time as a babysitter when you're stressed and it'll be fine.
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30 minutes a day sounds reasonable for a 5yo honestly. We're pretty strict too with our youngest and it's definitely worth it. The thing I'd say is make sure whatever they're watching is actually educational and not just labeled that way. Duolingo is solid though my kids like that.