GardionCalculator
Screen time by age
Pick your child's age and bedtime. The calculator shows what the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend for that age, adds the hour figure from Russia's Ministry of Education, and lays the time out across an ordinary day.
WHO and AAP
No fixed number
For children over five, neither WHO nor AAP gives a number. WHO says to limit recreational screen time. AAP suggests a family media plan with the same rules for everyone.
Russia's Ministry of Education, for reference: Up to 1.5 hours a day
- WHO
- Limit recreational screen time; no number given
- AAP
- No number; a family media plan with the same rules for everyone
- Russian school rules, at home
- Grades 3–4: up to 90 minutes a day on a computer, homework and leisure combined
- Before bed
- Screen off at 8:00 pm, an hour before bed (AAP).
A sample day at this limit
Daily limit to set: 1 h 30 min
- 2:45 pm–3:15 pmscreen
- 3:15 pm–3:45 pmmovement break
- 4:45 pm–5:15 pmscreen
- 5:15 pm–5:45 pmmovement break
- 6:45 pm–7:15 pmscreen
- 7:15 pm–7:45 pmmovement break
- 8:00 pm–9:00 pmscreens off
- 9:00 pmbedtime
We chose the length of one screen block ourselves: 20 minutes under age 7, 30 minutes up to 11, and 45 minutes for teens. The ministry's letter recommends alternating screen time with physical activity.
Sources
Why the numbers differ
WHO gives hours only for children under five. AAP dropped a single number for school-age children in 2016 and has since asked each family to set its own rules. Russia’s ministry is one of the few official sources with a figure for every age up to 16.
That is why the calculator shows the positions side by side. For children under six, the headline comes from WHO and AAP. For older children, it shows the Russian figure and labels it.
In Gardion
How to set it up in Gardion
Daily limit
The number from the calculator becomes the daily limit, and the phone locks when the minutes run out.
Breaks
The "Break every" setting sets the block length, after which the screen locks for a break.
Bedtime
At the chosen hour the screen switches off until morning.
Time on request
Your child asks for more minutes, and you answer from your phone.
Sources
- World Health Organization, guidelines for children under 5April 24, 2019
- WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour2020
- American Academy of Pediatrics, "Media and Young Minds"2016
- American Academy of Pediatrics, policy statement on digital mediaJanuary 20, 2026
- Ministry of Education of Russia, letter No. 07-8526June 4, 2026
- Russian sanitary rules SanPiN 1.2.3685-21, table 6.8in force until March 1, 2027
Sources checked October 18, 2026.
Questions parents ask
How much screen time should a 2-year-old have?
WHO says no more than one hour a day, and less is better. AAP says the same for ages 2 to 5 and adds that an adult should watch with the child.
Does homework on a computer count?
The Russian school rules count all computer and tablet time at home, study and leisure together. If homework is done on a tablet, less time is left for games and video.
Can kids have more on weekends?
None of these sources sets a separate weekend number. If your family allows more on Saturday, that is your own rule.
How long before bed should the phone go away?
AAP says one hour for all ages. The Russian ministry says one to two hours for ages 11 to 15.
Why don't WHO and AAP give a number for school-age kids?
WHO's 2020 guidelines say to limit recreational screen time and stop there. Since 2016 AAP has recommended a family media plan instead: how much time, which apps, and where phones stay out.
More on limits: screen time limits by age, how a daily limit works and time limits for games. How Gardion itself works is on a separate page.
Set the limit on the phone
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