What is the 3-6-9-12 rule for screen time? And the 7-7-7, 3-3-3 and 10-10-10 rules?

Key fact

3-6-9-12

the ages at which a French psychiatrist’s screen milestones change. Only the 3 to 6 stage sets minutes.

Your eleven-year-old wants more time on their phone. You want a rule you can point to. A friend mentions the 3-6-9-12 rule, and a search turns up three more number rules. They sound official and they are easy to remember. Only one of them has an author you can trace. None of them gives a daily limit for a child of 8 to 14.

You are not alone in looking. In Ofcom's 2026 research, 55% of UK parents of 8 to 17-year-olds said their child's screen time is too high. Around a third of parents said they find it hard to control. A simple rule with numbers in it is an appealing answer. Here is what each one really says.

Who came up with the 3-6-9-12 rule?

Serge Tisseron, a French psychiatrist who writes about children and screens. He launched the rule in 2008, and it still has its own website, 3-6-9-12.org. The original version was four short rules:

• Before 3: no screens.
• Before 6: no device of their own, such as a games console.
• Before 9: no internet without an adult.
• Before 12: no internet on their own.

In the 2010s the rules were reworded as positive advice for each stage, under the name 3-6-9-12+. The site says the substance did not change. In 2020 Tisseron added a separate set, 3-6-13-18, about AI tools such as connected toys and chatbots.

It is one French psychiatrist's advice. It is not part of UK guidance.

What does the 3-6-9-12 rule say at each age?

The current version gives each stage a theme and some practical advice.

• Under 3: play, talk, switch off the TV. At most a very short time with a fun app, always together.
• 3 to 6: limit screens, share them, talk as a family. This is the only stage with minutes: half an hour a day at 3, rising to an hour a day at most at 6. No screens in the bedroom.
• 6 to 9: create with screens and explain the internet. Set family rules that everyone keeps, with no phones at meals and none at night. Start talking about the age for a first phone. Put an alarm clock in every bedroom.
• 9 to 12: teach them to protect themselves. Help your child manage their own leisure screen time, for example with a screen-time notebook. Put off buying a phone for as long as possible, and choose a simple one.
• After 12: stay available. No phone in the bedroom at night. Limit time on video games. Keep social media profiles private.

So for a 10-year-old the rule asks for two things: family rules, and a child who is learning to manage their own time. It gives no number of minutes. Many UK families decide sooner. Ofcom found phone ownership rises from 56% of 10-year-olds to 83% of 11-year-olds. If that decision is in front of you, read what age a child should get a first phone.

What is the 7-7-7 rule?

We looked for a primary source on 25 October 2026 and found none. No author, no study and no health body stands behind it. It circulates on parenting websites and social media.

Here is what those pages usually mean by it, in our own summary: seven minutes of full attention with your child, three times a day. Once in the morning, once after school, once at bedtime, with phones away. Some pages use the same name for a screen time limit instead. We found no source for those versions either.

As a habit, seven minutes of attention costs nothing. It sets no limit on screen time.

What is the 3-3-3 rule?

We could not trace an origin for this one either. It most often means a calming exercise for an anxious child. Name three things you can see and three things you can hear, then move three parts of your body. That is a grounding exercise for worry. It has nothing to say about screens, and we found no screen time version with a source behind it.

What is the 10-10-10 rule?

It is usually an eye-rest habit: every 10 minutes, look at something about 10 feet (3 metres) away for 10 seconds. We found no primary source for the 10-10-10 version. It looks like a shorter form of the 20-20-20 rule. The American Academy of Ophthalmology describes that one: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Both are about tired eyes during long stretches at a screen. Neither says how much screen time a day is right.

What does UK guidance say instead?

The official numbers in the UK are for young children only.

• Under 2: avoid screens, except shared activities that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation, such as a video call with family. (UK guidance, March 2026)
• 2 to 5: about an hour a day at most, and less if possible. Keep mealtimes and bedrooms screen-free, and avoid screens in the hour before bed. (UK guidance, March 2026)
• 5 to 16: no official number. In 2019 the UK's four Chief Medical Officers looked at a large review of the research. They said it was "insufficiently conclusive" to support guidelines on how much screen use is best. The research found links between screen use and some harms. It did not show that screens cause them.

The Chief Medical Officers gave practical advice in place of a number. Leave phones outside the bedroom at bedtime. Keep meal times screen-free. Take a break after a couple of hours sitting or lying down with a screen. Talk with children about what they watch, and make sure they know they can come to you.

New government guidance for 5 to 16-year-olds was announced in June 2026 and is due this autumn. The announcement says it "will avoid blanket rules". We could not find it published when this guide was written.

Outside the UK, the World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines cover under-5s only. They do not recommend screen time before age 2. From 2 to 4, it should be no more than an hour a day, and less is better. The American Academy of Pediatrics, updated in January 2026, gives no fixed minutes for school-age children. It asks families to make a family media plan, which we explain in what the AAP's guidance says.

What can a family with an 8 to 14-year-old take from these rules?

Not a number. No UK body gives one for this age, and the number rules don't either. What carries over is more useful.

1. Rules that change with age. This is the real idea in 3-6-9-12. An agreement for a 9-year-old will not fit a 13-year-old. Look at it again each birthday or each new school year.
2. The parts everyone agrees on. Phones out of the bedroom at night and screen-free meals appear in Tisseron's milestones and in the Chief Medical Officers' advice. Start there.
3. A number you set together. Most UK families already have rules: 89% of parents of 8 to 17-year-olds have rules about phone use, most often about time (Ofcom, 2026). Pick a daily amount for school days and one for weekends with your child, and write down why.
4. Practice at managing time. Tisseron's 9 to 12 stage asks children to start managing their own leisure screen time. A child who helped set the limit has something to practise with.

For the guidance at every age in one place, read how much screen time is too much, age by age.

The rules with numbers in their names are easy to share and hard to source. The one with a real author makes the same point as UK guidance: the right rules depend on the child's age. When you are ready to agree yours and write them down, the free Family Digital Agreement takes about ten minutes.

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Questions parents ask

What is the 3-6-9-12 rule for screen time?

It is a set of age milestones from the French psychiatrist Serge Tisseron, launched in 2008 and published on his website 3-6-9-12.org. The original rules said no screens before 3 and no device of their own before 6. They said no internet without an adult before 9, and none alone before 12. The current version gives advice for each stage. It sets minutes only for ages 3 to 6: half an hour a day at 3, up to an hour at most at 6.

What is the 7 7 7 rule for kids?

We searched for a primary source on 25 October 2026 and found none: no author, no study and no health body. On parenting websites it usually means seven minutes of full attention with your child, three times a day: morning, after school and bedtime. It is a connection habit. It sets no limit on screen time.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for children?

We could not trace where it comes from. It most often means a calming exercise for an anxious child. Name three things you can see and three things you can hear, then move three parts of your body. It is unrelated to screen time, and we found no screen time version with a source behind it.

What is the 10-10-10 rule for screen time?

It is usually an eye-rest habit: every 10 minutes, look at something about 10 feet away for 10 seconds. We found no primary source for it. It looks like a shorter form of the 20-20-20 rule, which the American Academy of Ophthalmology describes for eye strain. Neither rule says how much screen time a day is right.

Is there an official UK screen time limit for children?

Only for under-5s. UK guidance published in March 2026 says under-2s should avoid screens except shared activities. It says 2 to 5-year-olds should have about an hour a day at most. For older children, the UK Chief Medical Officers said in 2019 that the evidence did not support a recommended amount. Government guidance for 5 to 16-year-olds was announced in June 2026 and is due this autumn.

Read next

Sources

1. The 3-6-9-12+ milestones, 3-6-9-12.org (Serge Tisseron)
2. Les balises 3-6-9-12, 3-6-9-12.org (Serge Tisseron)
3. UK CMO commentary on screen time and social media map of reviews, UK Chief Medical Officers (Department of Health and Social Care), 7 February 2019
4. New screen time guidance for parents of under-5s, Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care, 26 March 2026
5. Baby and toddler screen time guidance, Best Start in Life (GOV.UK), last updated 29 June 2026
6. New guidance on screen use for children aged 5–16, Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care, 8 June 2026
7. To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more, World Health Organization, 24 April 2019
8. Understanding the New AAP Digital Media Guidelines for Screen Time and Social Media, American Academy of Pediatrics, last updated 20 January 2026
9. Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026, Ofcom, 21 May 2026
10. Eye Strain and Sleepy Eyes: How to Prevent Eye Discomfort, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 5 May 2023

Last reviewed 25 October 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.