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Ask HN: Do you use any apps or tools to limit your kids' screen time?

by nagonago on 8/9/23, 1:36 AM with 9 comments

• by sinuhe69 on 8/9/23, 1:58 AM

  Yes, with moderate success. For my 8 yo, I limited the times he can log into his Windows laptop and the time spent on the computer using Microsoft parental control. iPad has a quite good limiting screen time control so I use that. But I also trained him to use a timer when he watches TV or use a focus timer to learn (and break).

  For my older son, who is much more computer proficient, it was not so successful. He broke the Windows system twice, before MS could fix it so I gave up and developed a custom monitoring system instead (brought much troubles to the house, I can tell you). I also limited our household router to allow connecting to 1.1.1.3 DNS servers only, which should filter inappropriate websites.

  But to be honest, with the level of sophistication of my older son, not much can actually be done except frank conversation and clear rules.

  I also ponder building a total monitoring platform, using deep packet inspection and AI to help automatically classify connections and resources. But I wonder if it’s worth the effort at all.

• by codegeek on 8/9/23, 2:52 PM

  Tech won't solve this problem. With a 10 year old and a 9 year old, we have realized that the best way is to take it away and give them an alternative. My kids usually want to be on their devices when they have nothing to do and during summer, it gets harder especially if they don't have too many outside activities. So we try to keep them busy with activities and that helps. IF not outside, we find things to do inside the house that doesn't require a device (art and crafts, board games, 3D Pen etc).

• by hqsolomo on 8/10/23, 7:10 PM

  I went down this path and determined that it simply isn't worth the effort.

  I now take the approach of "a device is simply another activity" and regulate it just like I do every other activity. I don't do anything special around how the kids use their devices just like how I don't tell them how to run around at the park. As long as the kids meet their responsibilities and nothing glaring jumps out at me from their device logs (I have Suricata set up to alert for problematic network activity and I set up built-in parental controls wherever I can to get weekly summary reports) I don't police them at all.

  I try to talk to my kids regularly about how important it is to balance digital and physical hobbies. Time will tell if this pays off since my oldest is only six but doing this gives me "warm and fuzzies" and I get a view my kids' relationship with their devices. I already see a huge improvement in my eldest's attitude to technology where she will willingly give up her devices when asked. A year ago she would throw a temper tantrum if she THOUGHT I was coming to take her tech away because she didn't understand my intentions. My younger two seem to have a healthy relationship with their tech as well but I'm not sure if that's from our discussions or from watching their big sister.

  I'd love to collect log data and run that through a SIEM but that's far more expensive than just tossing their devices and pretending they won't be interested in the digital world. At some point you have to ask yourself "what am I trying to do here?" If I can't trust my child to not be an idiot it's far easier for me to just not give them the activity at all until I can provide a safe space for us all to be idiots. If I gave them the tech though I WANT them to fully explore it!

• by fiftyacorn on 8/9/23, 8:04 AM

  This is one of my gripes about kids being online - every platform has some different setting for parental control and screen time whether its google, apple, PS or nintendo

  Id like to see some consistency where i can link my Google Parent Link to Apple - and it automatically applies those settings under another platform

  Its not like Im using the ipad or console for baby sitting - but its the balance between allowing children to experiment vs their own safety.

  Its really frustrating

• by matt_s on 8/9/23, 12:18 PM

  Given the wide variety of quality around vendor provided controls I wonder if a better route (sorry) is the router. Figure out what the MAC address is of the device and see if there are ways to basically shut off internet for that device after X minutes consumed. Maybe you'd have to write some code and run that devices DNS through a Raspberry PI or something, I don't know if routers have parental/time based controls like this. This doesn't stop them from playing games w/o internet requirements though so obviously some physical monitoring is needed.

  A more manual way would be to figure out at what % battery left is appropriate limit of their screen time and then charge the device just to that level (like 8% is 30mins or something). Probably not great for the maintenance of the device but solves the problem.

  Another option is to write an app of good quality that does exactly what you want, makes it easy on the parent to manage, maybe tracks usage over time, etc.

• by mikebos on 8/9/23, 6:48 AM

  We did with apple screentime. It actually worked really well most of the time. On a sidenote, giving youtube / tablet time to a three your old unsupervised is not a good thing. Television or a netflix kids account is somewhat safer but even then.....

• by billybuckwheat on 8/9/23, 2:55 AM

  Just a timer (I limit my kid's screen time to 10 minutes, two or three times a day) and a locked drawer into which their devices go when they're not using them

• by warrenm on 8/9/23, 1:00 PM

  We use a very simple tool - our hands

  They can use a tablet/laptop/phone for school, or occasionally for fun

  And when it's time to be done, we take it and put it away

  Very simple