{
  "slug": "screen-time-budget",
  "title": "Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator",
  "heading": "Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator",
  "category": "other",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-time-budget",
  "summary": "Allocate a weekly screen time budget across school days and weekends.",
  "description": "The American Academy of Pediatrics moved away from strict hour limits for older kids toward a family-media-plan approach, but many families still want a concrete weekly number to work with, especially with school-night homework and sleep needing protection. This calculator takes a target weekly total, splits it realistically across five school days and two weekend days using a lower weekday allocation, and converts it into a daily minutes figure for each, plus shows how much of a 'bonus bank' remains if a day goes unused, which is how many families implement flexible-but-bounded screen time.",
  "formula": "Weekday minutes = weekly total × weekday share ÷ 5; weekend minutes = weekly total × weekend share ÷ 2, where weekday+weekend shares sum to 100%.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=screen-time-budget",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "weeklyTotalHours",
      "label": "Target weekly screen time",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "hours",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "weekdayShare",
      "label": "Share of budget used on weekdays",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "homeworkBuffer",
      "label": "Homework/reading time to protect on weekdays",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 45,
      "unit": "minutes",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 180
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "weekdayMinutes",
      "label": "Screen minutes per school day",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "weekendMinutes",
      "label": "Screen minutes per weekend day",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "weeklyMinutes",
      "label": "Total weekly minutes",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "bufferNote",
      "label": "Homework/reading time protected (min)",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Target weekly screen time: 10 hours",
      "Share of budget used on weekdays: 40 %",
      "Homework/reading time to protect on weekdays: 45 minutes"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Screen minutes per school day: 48",
      "Screen minutes per weekend day: 180",
      "Total weekly minutes: 600",
      "Homework/reading time protected (min): 45"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter target weekly screen time (hours).",
      "Enter share of budget used on weekdays (%).",
      "Enter homework/reading time to protect on weekdays (minutes).",
      "Read your screen minutes per school day on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyTotalHours": 6,
        "weekdayShare": 25,
        "homeworkBuffer": 25
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "weeklyTotalHours": 10,
        "weekdayShare": 40,
        "homeworkBuffer": 45
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyTotalHours": 16,
        "weekdayShare": 65,
        "homeworkBuffer": 70
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.",
    "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.",
    "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What does the AAP actually recommend now?",
      "a": "Current AAP guidance for kids 6 and older is to set consistent limits that ensure screen time doesn't replace sleep, physical activity, and other healthy behaviors, rather than a fixed hour cap. For kids 2-5, the older 1-hour/day guideline for high-quality programming is still commonly referenced as a starting point."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should educational screen time count the same as entertainment?",
      "a": "Many families track them separately — schoolwork requiring a screen, video calls with family, or genuinely educational apps often get excluded from the recreational budget. Decide this rule explicitly with your kids so 'it's for school' doesn't become a loophole that erodes the whole system."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I handle a kid who wants to bank unused time?",
      "a": "A common system lets unused weekday minutes roll into a weekend bonus pool, capped at a reasonable amount (like 60-90 extra minutes) so it doesn't snowball into an entire unsupervised day. Track it on a shared calendar or chore-ledger-style app so the number stays visible and non-negotiable."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/kid-allowance-chore-ledger",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wake-window-planner"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-time-budget)"
}