There’s only one way to manage kids’ screen time: parenting. It’s up to parents and caretakers to establish rules, guidelines, and habits that lead to an appropriate amount of time with computers, video games, tablets, and phones. While it’s entirely feasible to regulate screen time using nothing more than words, some parental control tools make it easier. In some circumstances, they’re essential.
Let’s say you set a rule that your child may only use a particular app on your iPad for 10 minutes. If your kid is very young or developmentally different, they may not yet have the skills needed to participate in following this rule. In this instance, you can use a feature called Guided Access to set a timer so that the app freezes after 10 minutes; I’ll explain how to do that below.
Another example: Now let’s say your child is ready to take an active role in limiting their screen time. They’re still new to it, though, and they need you to step in from time to time. In this case, you can enable a tool that monitors how much time your kid spends in various apps and reports it back to you. That way you can build trust with your kid while still having oversight.
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