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Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator

Allocate a weekly screen time budget across school days and weekends.

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Everyday utility math — the kind you'd otherwise pull up four browser tabs for. I keep it to one clean answer.

Try a scenario

Click to load — tweak from there.

Inputs

Result

Screen minutes per school day

48

Screen minutes per weekend day

180

Total weekly minutes

600

Homework/reading time protected (min)

45

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How to use this

  1. 1Enter target weekly screen time (hours).
  2. 2Enter share of budget used on weekdays (%).
  3. 3Enter homework/reading time to protect on weekdays (minutes).
  4. 4Read your screen minutes per school day on the right — it updates as you type.
  5. 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

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.

FormulaWeekday minutes = weekly total × weekday share ÷ 5; weekend minutes = weekly total × weekend share ÷ 2, where weekday+weekend shares sum to 100%.

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

  • Target weekly screen time: 10 hours
  • Share of budget used on weekdays: 40 %
  • Homework/reading time to protect on weekdays: 45 minutes

Results

  • Screen minutes per school day: 48
  • Screen minutes per weekend day: 180
  • Total weekly minutes: 600
  • Homework/reading time protected (min): 45

What each field means

Inputs

Target weekly screen time (hours)
The target weekly screen time used in the calculation, measured in hours. Starts at 10 hours so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40 hours.
Share of budget used on weekdays (%)
The share of budget used on weekdays used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 40 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Homework/reading time to protect on weekdays (minutes)
The homework/reading time to protect on weekdays used in the calculation, measured in minutes. Starts at 45 minutes so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–180 minutes.

Results

Screen minutes per school day
Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Screen minutes per weekend day
Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Total weekly minutes
Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Homework/reading time protected (min)
Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

What does the AAP actually recommend now?

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.

Should educational screen time count the same as entertainment?

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.

How do I handle a kid who wants to bank unused time?

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.

Accuracy and 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.

Related tools

Kid Allowance & Chore Ledger Calculator

Turn chores done and skipped into a weekly allowance payout.

Baby Sleep Schedule & Wake Window Planner

Suggested nap times and bedtime based on your baby's age.

Cite this calculator

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APA
RevenueLab. (2026). Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-time-budget
HTML
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-time-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Markdown
Source: [Kids Screen Time Budget Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-time-budget) (2026).
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