makoFor years the answer was a fixed number of hours; experts now suggest looking less at the clock and more at what the child actually does on screen.
Quotes by Chen Bareket
Selected excerpts from the interview.
Not all screen time is the same screen time. A child who is learning, creating or talking with friends is not in the same situation as a child scrolling for hours through content that amplifies anxiety, social comparison or a sense of worthlessness. The number on the clock may be identical, but the effect can be completely different.
There is a tendency today to talk about magic solutions like boycotts and bans on social networks for children under 16. But a huge part of their friendships and learning happens in the digital space today. If we simply cut off their screen time entirely, we may harm their social and emotional development from a different angle.
The useful principle is quality before quantity: not only how long a screen is used, but what kind of experience it creates and what a child gains from it. We apply the same test when designing digital products for children and teens.