How much screen time is okay? A South African parent's guide by age

Phones and tablets are part of family life in South Africa, whether it is a toddler watching videos in a queue at Home Affairs or a seven-year-old playing a game while you cook supper. Most parents we speak to feel a little guilty about it, and a little confused about how much is too much.

The good news: you do not need to ban screens. You need sensible limits, good content, and to be involved. Here is what the experts recommend at each age, and how to put it into practice.

In this article

1. What the experts recommend
2. Not all screen time is equal
3. How to choose a good learning app
4. Simple rules that work at home
5. Balance screens with real-world play
6. Where Asifunde Nathi fits in
7. Questions parents ask

What the experts recommend

Two of the most widely used sets of guidance come from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Under 1 year

• WHO: no screen time.
• AAP: avoid screens other than video-chatting (for example, video calls with Gogo).

Babies learn best from face-to-face interaction, play and being talked to.

1 to 2 years

• WHO: sedentary screen time is not recommended for 1-year-olds. For 2-year-olds, no more than 1 hour a day, and less is better.
• AAP: from 18 months, if you introduce screens, choose high-quality content and watch it with your child.

2 to 5 years

• WHO: no more than 1 hour a day of sedentary screen time, and less is better.
• AAP: limit screen use to 1 hour a day of high-quality programmes, ideally watched together so you can help your child understand what they see.

The WHO also stresses that young children should be physically active throughout the day and get good-quality sleep.

6 years and older

• AAP: set consistent limits on time and types of media, and make sure screens do not replace sleep, physical activity and other healthy behaviour.

There is no single magic number for older children. The question becomes: what are they doing on screens, and what is it replacing?

Not all screen time is equal

An hour of fast-paced videos with autoplay is very different from 10 minutes of a learning game in your child's home language with you sitting beside them. When you think about screen time, ask three questions:

1. Is it active or passive? Is your child thinking, choosing, solving and speaking, or just watching?
2. Is it shared? Talking about what your child sees on a screen turns it into a conversation, which is where much of the learning happens.
3. What is it replacing? Screen time that pushes out sleep, outdoor play, reading or family meals is a problem, however educational it is.

How to choose a good learning app

Use this checklist before you download:

• No ads and no in-app purchase traps. Children cannot tell ads from content.
• Short sessions. Good apps for young children are designed for 5 to 15 minutes, not endless scrolling.
• Age-appropriate. Activities should match your child's age and grow with them.
• In your child's language. Learning in a language your child understands builds real skills, and protects the home language.
• Something to do, not just watch. Look for games where your child taps, sorts, builds and answers.
• A view for parents. The best apps show you what your child is learning, so you can follow up offline.
• Privacy. Check what data is collected and whether the app follows South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Simple rules that work at home

Screens off at meals and before bed

Keep meals screen-free so you can talk. Switch screens off at least an hour before bedtime and keep devices out of the bedroom at night. Replace screen time with a bedtime story. See our guide to bedtime stories in African languages.

Use a timer

Young children find it hard to stop. Agree on a time limit, set a kitchen timer or a sand timer, and give a two-minute warning. When the timer goes, the screen goes off, calmly and every time.

Co-play when you can

Sit with your child for at least part of their screen time. Ask, "What are you building?" or "How do you say that in isiZulu?" Your interest turns a solo activity into shared learning.

Make a family media plan

Agree as a family when and where screens are used. Write it down and stick it on the fridge. Older children are more likely to follow rules they helped make.

Model what you want to see

Children copy us. If we scroll through supper, they will want to as well. Try a family "phones down" time each evening.

Balance screens with real-world play

Screens should be one small part of a full day that includes outdoor play, reading, chores, family time and plenty of sleep. For ideas, read screen-free learning games every South African child should know.

For screen-free time that still builds language, our printable colouring books put home-language words on every page.

Where Asifunde Nathi fits in

We designed Asifunde Nathi to be the kind of screen time parents feel good about. Activities take 5 to 10 minutes a day, there is a built-in weekly plan with a rest day for a bedtime story, children learn in one of nine South African home languages, and the Parent Centre shows you exactly what your child practised. Try it free for 7 days.

Questions parents ask