Kids' screen time: age-by-age recommendations
Written by the Olivio & Co team. References: Serge Tisseron 3-6-9-12 framework (validated by the French Academy of Sciences, 2013), WHO Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2019, ages 0-5), HCSP recommendations, ANSES 2019 report on blue light, Cochrane Review on blue-light filters (Singh et al., 2023). Specific claims flagged [À VÉRIFIER] before publication.
Screens used to be a parental decision. They aren't anymore. They are also a school decision, a homework decision, a Sunday-at-grandma's decision. The line has moved, and so has the discomfort that comes with it.
This guide is not a list of bans. It's a working framework, age by age, with the rules that hold up after a real day with a real child.
The 3-6-9-12 rule, still the cleanest starting point
The most quoted French framework on screen exposure, designed by psychologist Serge Tisseron and validated by the French Academy of Sciences in 2013, breaks down like this.
- Before 3: no screens. The brain is building its perception of space, depth and language. Screens compete with what it actually needs.
- Before 6: no personal console. Shared screen time only, parent next to the child, short sessions.
- Before 9: no solo internet. Co-pilot mode for browsing, video and apps.
- Before 12: no social media. The frontal cortex isn't ready for what feeds are designed to do.
The framework is over a decade old and the world has shifted. The four anchors still hold. The exceptions get more interesting.
What changed with school
French primary schools now use tablets and interactive boards as a routine teaching tool. Homework platforms run on screens from age 7 or 8. The 3-6-9-12 rule was written when screen time was almost entirely recreational. It still applies to leisure, but the picture needs an extra rule for school-related use.
The practical addition that holds up: school screen time isn't free, but it doesn't replace the daily leisure quota. It comes on top, and the eye-care answer is the same in both cases (breaks, distance, daylight).
How long is too long, by age
The numbers below are working benchmarks. Major bodies don't all give the same figures: the WHO 2019 guidelines specify quotas only for ages 0 to 5, the American Academy of Pediatrics moved away from strict hourly limits in 2016, and France's HCSP issued its own recommendations in 2019-2020. The benchmarks below summarise the most commonly accepted leisure quotas across these sources [À VÉRIFIER].
| Age | Working leisure screen-time benchmark | Key practice |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 yrs | None (WHO 2019) | Real-world play, books, faces |
| 2-5 yrs | Up to 1 hour, shared (WHO 2019) | Sit next to child, talk during |
| 6-9 yrs | Around 1 hour (HCSP) | Set a clear daily quota, no screens at meals or in bedroom |
| 9-12 yrs | Negotiated, around 1.5 hours | Co-pilot internet, no social media, screen-free hour before sleep |
| 12+ yrs | Negotiated quota | Screen-free windows: morning, last hour before sleep |
The benchmark matters less than the conversation. The number is a starting point, not a verdict.
Signs of digital eye strain in children
Beyond time, the eye sends signals worth noticing.
- Frequent eye rubbing during or after screen use.
- Headaches at the end of a homework session.
- Difficulty refocusing on distant objects after extended screen time.
- Sensitivity to light or screen brightness that wasn't there before.
- Trouble falling asleep after evening screen exposure.
One or two of these on a single day means little. The same pattern week after week deserves an eye exam and a screen-routine review.
The eye-care basics that make a real difference
The 20-20-20 rule
Every 20 minutes of screen use, look at something 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds. The eye relaxes. A small habit that beats most fatigue. Use a kitchen timer during homework sessions.
Daylight first, screen second
Studies on the rise in pediatric myopia consistently point to outdoor time as a protective factor: around 2 hours of daylight per day, not necessarily sport, just being outside (Rose 2008, He 2015) [À VÉRIFIER]. It doesn't undo screen exposure, but it counterweights it on the visual-development side.
Blue light glasses: what we know, what we don't
The evidence here is more nuanced than online ads suggest. A 2023 Cochrane Review (Singh et al.) concluded that blue-light-filtering lenses have not shown a clinically significant effect on digital eye strain in current studies. Where blue light filters do find some support is on the sleep side: evening screen exposure delays melatonin secretion, and filtering the evening dose may help with sleep onset (ANSES 2019).
Our take: blue light glasses are not a medical device, and they don't replace the basics (daylight, breaks, screen-free hour before bed). They can be a useful adjunct for children who spend long hours in front of a screen, especially in the evening, on the comfort and sleep angle. We are transparent about the limit of the evidence.
For the full deep-dive, read are blue light glasses for kids really useful. Our kids' blue light glasses, junior version and adult version are designed for full-day wear, with a discreet filter that doesn't alter colour perception.
Three habits that quietly do most of the work
The numbers help. The habits stick.
- No screens at the table. Across all ages. The most powerful single rule, because it removes screens from the most repeated moment of the day.
- No screens in the bedroom. Before sleep, and overnight. The bedroom stays a screen-free zone until the teenager negotiates otherwise.
- One screen-free hour before bed. The most consistently documented effect of evening screens is on sleep. This one hour does more for the day after than any blue light filter.
Frequently asked questions
Do blue light glasses really work for kids?
The current evidence (Cochrane Review 2023) does not show a significant effect on digital eye strain. There is some support on the sleep side for evening screen use. The basics (daylight, breaks, no screens in the bedroom) matter more.
Is the 3-6-9-12 rule outdated with school tablets?
The framework still holds for leisure. School screen time comes on top of the leisure quota, with the same eye-care basics (breaks, distance, daylight).
At what age can my child have their first smartphone?
The 3-6-9-12 framework says no social media before 12. For a basic phone (no internet), some parents start earlier; for an internet-connected smartphone, beyond 12 is the recommended baseline.
If you only remember one thing
The framework is helpful. The conversation matters more. Screen time is not a battle to win. It is a routine to design with your child. Setting the rules together, age-appropriately, beats imposing a number.
The eyes need three things: enough daylight, regular breaks, and protection when the day really runs long. The rest is parenting.
A discreet filter, designed for the hours screens really do run long.