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The AAP's new screen time guidance: why there's no magic number

The world's most-quoted screen time guidelines have been rewritten, and the headline is that they no longer give one. Here is what they offer instead.

4 min read · Published 28 September 2026 · Last reviewed

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In short

The American Academy of Pediatrics' updated digital media guidance deliberately goes beyond counting minutes. For school-age children it doesn't set a fixed daily limit. Instead it asks families to weigh the 5 C's (Child, Content, Calm, Crowding out and Communication) and to make a family media plan, with screen-free times such as meals, homework and before bed.

Key facts

  • No fixed daily limit for school-age children.
  • The 5 C's: Child, Content, Calm, Crowding out and Communication.
  • A family media plan, with screen-free times such as meals and before bed.

What changed

For years, parents have quoted "the AAP guidelines" as a number. The American Academy of Pediatrics' updated policy on digital media, in its own words, "goes way beyond the amount of time children, teens, and parents spend on screens."

It rests on two ideas:

  • The circles around a child. The child sits at the centre, with their own personality, age and needs. Around them are family, school and neighbourhood, and around those, culture, law and the media industry. Screen habits are shaped by all of it, not by willpower alone.
  • Design matters. The AAP points out that features built to keep people scrolling can interfere with sleep, which in turn affects mood and attention. It puts part of the responsibility on the companies that build them.

The 5 C's

Instead of a number, the AAP gives families five questions:

  1. Child. What is your child like? What are their strengths, and what do they find hard?
  2. Content. What are they actually watching, playing and doing?
  3. Calm. Are screens the main way they settle down, or do they have other ways?
  4. Crowding out. What is screen time taking the place of: sleep, activity, time together, play?
  5. Communication. How does your family talk about media?

The family media plan

The practical tool is a family media plan, which the AAP has offered on HealthyChildren.org since 2016. Its suggestions include:

  • Screen-free zones, such as the dinner table, during homework and before bed.
  • One screen at a time, turning off devices that aren't being used.
  • Turning off autoplay and notifications, which are designed to keep children engaged for longer.
  • Fun swaps, such as reading, outdoor play, games and hobbies, so screens don't crowd other things out.
  • Reviewing it at the start of each school year and in the holidays, as a child grows.

It also makes a point that's easy to skip past: how parents use their own phones shapes how children use theirs.

Turning it into rules at home

  1. Go through the 5 C's together, not about your child but with them. Ask what screens are crowding out, and where they'd like help stopping.
  2. Agree a starting number anyway, and treat it as something to review rather than a verdict.
  3. Write it down and both sign it. Our free Family Digital Agreement does this in about ten minutes; see also how to write one that actually holds.

Kairoo

A family media plan that holds.

Kairoo turns the screen-free times you agree into a deal you and your child both sign, then keeps it on their phone, with a fair way for them to ask for more.

Get Kairoo on iPhone Start with the free agreement Or start with the free agreement Tell me when Android is ready

Two apps, no adverts. iPhone now, Android soon.

Questions parents ask

How much screen time does the AAP recommend for a 10-year-old?
The updated guidance doesn't set a fixed number of minutes for school-age children. It asks families to look at the 5 C's and agree a family media plan that fits their child, their routines and their values.
What are the AAP's 5 C's of media use?
Child (what is your child like, and what are their strengths?), Content (what are they watching and doing?), Calm (are screens the main way they settle down?), Crowding out (what is screen time taking the place of?) and Communication (how does your family talk about media?).
What is a family media plan?
A plan the whole family makes together, setting its own priorities for screens. The AAP's tool on HealthyChildren.org suggests screen-free zones such as the dinner table, homework and before bed, turning off autoplay and notifications, and reviewing the plan at the start of each school year and in the holidays.
Does the AAP still care about sleep?
Yes. It highlights that design features which encourage endless scrolling can interfere with sleep, which in turn affects mood and attention, and it recommends screen-free time before bed.
The researchChildren want to cut back too: what Ofcom's 2026 research says about kids and screensHow toHow to write a family screen time agreement that actually holdsWhat to sayHow to get kids off screens without a fight (and what to say to “five more minutes”)

Sources

  1. Understanding the New AAP Digital Media Guidelines for Screen Time and Social Media, American Academy of Pediatrics, last updated 20 January 2026
  2. How to Make a Family Media Plan, HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics), last updated 20 January 2026
  3. The Family Media Plan, Pediatrics

Last reviewed 28 September 2026. Kairoo checks these pages when the rules or the research change; if you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@kairoo.family.