1–8 years

Screens and tech

Eleven approaches, from screen-free to letting them self-regulate, scored on what you value and on what your week genuinely allows. The evidence here is far weaker than the argument around it, and the report says where — which is most places.
Start

8–13 questions, scored on your device. Saving is optional and comes afterwards.

approaches
11
axes
11
questions
8–13
The approaches

Every one of these works for the families it suits

The shapes are drawn from each approach’s own positions, so two that look alike are alike — they are not illustrations, and nothing here is styled to flatter one camp over another.

Screen-free

No screens at all in early childhood, and no apology for it.

Guideline-led

Whatever the paediatric guidance says for their age.

Co-viewing

Screens are something we do together, not something they do alone.

Time budget

A fixed number of minutes a day. What they spend it on is theirs.

Content-curated

Tight control of what. Much looser control of how long.

Context rules

Not how long — where, when, and never at the table.

Self-regulation

They learn to manage it by managing it, starting now.

Earned access

Screens after homework, chores, and reasonable behaviour.

Delayed device

Family screens, yes. A phone of their own, much later.

Digital literacy first

Teach them to make things with it, not just watch it.

Family media plan

A written household agreement — and the adults are in it.

The axes

What the instrument measures

None of these has a correct end, and the last group is about what your week allows rather than about what you would prefer.

Time and limits

T1How much
Whether the quantity of screen time is the thing you are trying to control.
as little as possible ↔ the amount is not the thing managed
T2Shape of the rule
Whether the rule is a number that does not move, or a judgement you make each time.
a fixed daily limit ↔ it depends on the day
T3Tied to behaviour
Whether screens function as a reward and a sanction, or sit outside that system entirely.
never earned, never removed ↔ earned, and taken away

What they watch, and with whom

W1Alone or together
Whether screen time is something the household does together or something a child does by themselves.
watching it together ↔ watching alone
W2Who picks
Who decides what actually goes on the screen.
the adults choose ↔ the child chooses
W3Their own device
When a child gets a screen that belongs to them rather than to the household.
as late as possible ↔ early — it is how things are now

What screens are for

P1What screens are
Whether time on a screen is something spent or something invested.
entertainment, at best neutral ↔ a skill worth building early
P2Whether it applies to the adults
Whether the household rule is a rule about children or a rule about the household.
adult use is a separate matter ↔ the rules are the same for the adults
P3Other families
How much the practice of other households in your child's life moves yours.
holding the line whatever others do ↔ not wanting them left out

What your life allows

C1Conflict the household can absorbconstraint
Not how strongly you feel about screens. How much daily friction the household actually has room for.
needing this not to be a fight ↔ able to take the argument every time
C2How much the week needs themconstraint
Whether screens are doing structural work in your week — childcare gaps, shift patterns, a second child, working from home. A fact about your circumstances, not about your standards.
rarely needing a screen to get through the day ↔ screens are how anything gets done
Compared, two at a time

Where two approaches differ

What each asks, and where the difference shows up on a Tuesday. Generated from the same sourced grid the questionnaire scores against.