During the week, my kid is busy with school and homework, but when the weekend rolls around, screen time skyrockets. Last night, while trying to have dinner as a family, my oldest was engrossed in his tablet, and my youngest was glued to her phone. I’m worried that this excess could affect their sleep, their mood, and even their energy to play outside.
I don’t want to completely take away their fun, but I need to set some limits. I’ve thought about setting fixed schedules and suggesting alternative activities like board games or bike rides. This weekend, I want to try some new rules and see if we can turn our home into a space where screen time is just a small part of our daily lives. Any advice? What works for your family?
Omg, I could have written this myself. My kids would spend all day staring at their screens if I let them, especially on the weekends. And every time I try to limit it, I get the dramatic but I’m so bored!!” meltdown. 
What’s worked for us is making screens a reward instead of the default, like they get an hour after playing outside or doing something creative. It took a couple of weekends to stick, but now they don’t even argue as much lol Hang in there!
I hear you. It feels like such a battle sometimes, and honestly, I don’t always have the energy to fight it. Some weekends I feel guilty for letting them have too much screen time, and other weekends I feel guilty for taking it away when they just want to relax. It’s like you can’t win. And I totally get the dinner thing, nothing makes me feel more invisible than talking to my kids while their eyes are glued to a screen. 
You’re not alone in this struggle. It’s tough, and I think we all just do the best we can
You got this!! The fact that you’re thinking about it and trying new things means you’re already doing an amazing job. It might be tough at first, but kids are adaptable. A few weekends of structured screen time, and they’ll adjust. Stay strong! 
And honestly, I’m torn. On one hand, screens are such a huge part of their world now, even for school. On the other hand, I don’t want their entire childhood to be YouTube and video games. How do you balance it without making screens the forbidden fruit” they want even more? Do your kids resist other activities, or do they eventually warm up to them?
I swear my kids have some kind of radar that tells them the second I try to limit screen time. It’s like I’m the villain in a dramatic movie. Moooommm, you’re ruining my life!!! (cue dramatic collapse onto the couch). 
What worked for us was making the rule that mornings are screen, free until after lunch. At first, they wandered around like lost puppies. What are we supposed to dooooo? But then they got into Legos, drawing, and shockingly even helping me cook. If they get screen time later, they don’t feel deprived, and I don’t feel like I’m fighting them all day. Win, win!
We went through this a year ago, and what finally helped was setting a clear weekend routine. We made a family rule: no screens before 10 AM and none between 4 y 7 PM. Those became our family time blocks, outside time, board games, cooking together, whatever. At first, the kids hated it, but after a few weeks, they stopped asking. And honestly, once they adjusted, they actually seemed happier. Less grumpy, more energy, better sleep. The key was being consistent, even when they begged for just five more minutes.
If you set a schedule, expect pushback at first. But if you stay firm, they’ll adapt, I promise. Just brace yourself for a rough first weekend! 
Wow, I feel so much better knowing I’m not alone in this struggle. I love the idea of making screens a reward instead of the default and setting clear screen, free blocks. I think I’m going to start with no screens at mealtimes and see how that goes. The pushback is probably going to be brutal pray for me lol, but I know it’ll be worth it. Thank you all for the advice and support, I’ll report back after the weekend!