Children's screen time: the guidelines
Health authorities agree on a few simple markers: no screens for the very young, then moderate and always-accompanied use for older children, avoiding screens in the morning before school and in the evening before bed. These are not minutes to count but moments and a frame to protect, including homework time.
What health authorities recommend
Official recommendations stay deliberately general, because every family is different. They do converge on one simple idea: the very young child develops without screens, and later screens should stay moderate, chosen and shared rather than passively endured. The question is not only « how long », but « what content, at what time, and with whom ».
The best-known marker concerns the youngest: health authorities recommend avoiding screens before the age of 3. After that, the guiding line remains moderation and guidance: an adult who watches, explains, puts words to things, rather than a child alone in front of an endless stream.
The moments to protect: morning and evening
Beyond duration, health authorities stress the moments. Two slots deserve to be protected first:
- The morning before school: screens grab attention and make focusing in class harder.
- The evening before bed: the light and excitement delay and degrade sleep.
- Mealtimes: moments for talking, best kept screen-free.
- The child's bedroom: keeping screens in shared spaces makes guidance easier.
Why homework is best screen-free
Homework time calls for focus, and the screen is precisely what fragments it. A notification, a « just one » video, and attention drifts elsewhere. Even used for work, a screen puts a thousand distractions within reach and blurs the line between effort and entertainment.
Screen-free homework protects attention, calms the mood and avoids the temptation of the ready-made answer found online, which short-circuits learning. A child who searches for themselves, even at the cost of mistakes, learns infinitely more than one who copies a displayed solution.
Concrete alternatives in the evening
Cutting screen time is easier when you replace it with something else that is appealing. In the evening, a few simple options are enough: shared reading, a board game, drawing, cooking together, talking about the day. The goal is not to ban screens on principle, but to make the other moments appealing enough that they are not missed.
For schoolwork, an audio and voice support (screen-free) lets the child revise, read or practise while keeping attention intact and the mood calm. That is exactly the space KAÏDO fills in the evening, at homework time.
How KAÏDO keeps its screen-free promise
KAÏDO is, by design, screen-free: feedback comes through voice and the light on its sides, never a display. At homework time, the child works out loud, guided, with no visual distraction and no temptation to look up the answer elsewhere, which KAÏDO never gives anyway; it helps find it.
It is a deliberate, locked-in choice: to offer a homework-help tool that does not add one more screen to the evening. You keep control of the frame, and in the parent app you get a weekly snapshot of progress. The app is for you, not for the child.
Frequently asked questions about screens
How much screen time per day for a child?
Health authorities stay general and speak mainly of moderation and guidance rather than a single figure. The principle: avoid screens for the very young, and for older children favour chosen, shared content and protected moments.
From what age can screens be introduced?
Health authorities recommend avoiding screens before age 3. After that, introduction is gradual, with moderation and the guidance of an adult: presence and dialogue matter as much as duration.
Should screens be banned before school and before bed?
It is a widely recommended marker: screens in the morning harm focus in class, and in the evening they delay and disrupt sleep. Protecting these two moments often has more effect than counting minutes across the day.
Is an educational screen tool better than a game?
Content matters, but a screen is still a screen at homework time, with its distractions. A screen-free, voice-based support protects attention and avoids the ready-made answer. That is KAÏDO's stance: help without adding a screen.
Help with homework, without one more screen.
KAÏDO guides your child out loud, screen-free and without ever giving the answer. Attention stays intact, the evening stays calm. Leave your email to hear what comes next.
€49 with 3 months of KAÏDO+ included