The Lazy Genius Podcast - How to Lazy Genius Kids’ Screentime (Rerun)

Episode Date: April 9, 2026

We like to rerun old episodes that still feel relevant and maybe even needed during this season, so today we want to share with you Episode 210: How to Lazy Genius Kids Screentime. A lot has changed in the landscape of screen time in the last five years, but I do think this episode is still relevant. In this episode, you’ll be reminded that there’s no singular way to do this, I’ll encourage you to use screen time to fill your own bucket, and you’ll hear a handful of ideas for House Rules you could use for kids’ screen time to make it easier in your home. Overall, it’s a deep breath of an episode and will help you feel like you’re not reinventing the wheel every day. Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Here’s the episode on chores for kids from a few years ago. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haid Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens. Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a transcript of this episode. Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey there, you're listening to the Lazy Genius podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi. This show is not about hacking the system to find more time or hacking your energy to get more done, hustling to be the best or to make the most out of every opportunity. It is exhausting and unsustainable. So here we do things differently. On this show, we value contentment, compassion, and living in our season. We favor small steps over big systems. Here we are lazy geniuses, being a genius about the things that matter, and lazy about the things that don't. And I am so glad that you are here. So we like to rerun old episodes that still feel relevant and maybe even a little needed during a certain season. So today we want to share with you episode 210, How to Lazy Genius Kids Screen Time. So that first

aired over 250 episodes ago, or like around five years. A lot has happened with screens and kids since then. So many folks have read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Social media apps are coming out with all kinds of parental controls that were not there before, but also social media is like even on trial about how addictive it actually is. A lot has changed in the landscape of screen time in the last five years. But I still think this episode is incredibly relevant. It's full of permission.

It has no judgment. it's meant to help you create rhythms around this topic in a way that matter to you. So in this episode, you will be reminded that there is no singular way to do this, which is quite freeing. I'm going to encourage you to use screen time to fill your own bucket. So I think that really matters. And you'll hear a handful of ideas for some house rules that you could use for your kids' screen time to make it easier in your home.

Overall, this is just a deep breath of an episode and will help you feel. like you're not reinventing the screen time wheel every day. So I hope you enjoy listening to How to Lazy Genius Kid Screen Time. Hey, you guys, welcome to the Lazy Genius podcast. I am Kendra Adachi and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today is episode 210. How to Lazy Genius Kids Screen Time. It's here, you guys. It's here. This is such a highly requested topic. And I think now that we're about to go into summer, we could use some perspective on how to approach this very ever-present problem. So I have three perspectives and then a few ideas for house rules when it comes to your kids and screen time. First thing, there is not one correct approach to this.

We think there is, but there really isn't. There's no universal rule or approach or time limit or any of it. There have been seasons of my life, particularly when I was pregnant with my middle son Ben. and Sam was not even two years old yet. And I was, I was so tired. Sam was and is a very high energy kid. He can, like, run circles around his own circles. And I just couldn't do it. I, I just didn't know how to spend my days because I was sick. I was so tired. I couldn't get up off the couch a lot of days. And we would like read and we'd try and play on the floor and all things, but that just wouldn't last very long. So Sam watched a lot of TV that year, simply because I didn't have another option. could not see another option. And that is okay. So just go ahead and remove the expectation that there

is one way to do this, that there is a right or wrong way. You get to decide what matters based on your own kids, on your own personality, and on your own stage of life. Sometimes seasons last a year. Sometimes they last a few days. Like if you're sick and your kids are not. And it's just a short season of being like, okay, they're going to watch a lot of screens. So please start there. And also start there when you're talking to other caregivers too. Like we're already, we're already kind of on like high alert, right? When it comes to like making bad parenting choices. And we don't need to add to anyone else's insecurities by questioning or doing that like, wow, when someone says how long their kid is on the iPad, right? let's just release that. I think it'll just be kinder for everyone. So remember, there is no one

correct approach to this. A second thought is that you want to use screen time to fill your own bucket. That is so, so important. The reason I think a lot of us are so sad when kids screen time is over or like when they ask for it again and again, we're like, fine, go ahead is because we're not full. We're not even halfway full. We're not taking advantage of time where we don't have to be directly engaged with our kids by being directly engaged with ourselves. So it is so important for you to name what you want out of your kids screen time. Like what's the point? When do you need the time? Start with your own needs. They probably don't care when they get it. So pay attention to you. pay attention to if you want to make dinner on your own, right? And maybe you want them to do screen time

during that. Or maybe you want them to help you make dinner. And so they're going to do screen time a different time. Like doing it during dinner doesn't make any sense. So what do you need? And when do you need it? Use your kid's screen time wisely for you. Don't just do it when other people tell you to do it. Decide what makes sense for you. And a third perspective is particularly for, it right now. Summer could be a great chance to reset or restart your approach to screen time. If you are in a rhythm that you would like to change, we're starting a new season on the calendar, likely without school. So usually that's a really good time to start again with what matters most now. So if you are in that place of resetting, I want to encourage three things. Make it clear,

make it collaborative, and write it down. So make your screen. time rules or, you know, guidelines or whatever you're going to call them, make them clear. Make them for your kids. It will help them know the deal, right? And then it will keep you from losing your mind every time they ask if they can have screen time. The rule is clear. It's clear. Next, make it collaborative. Depending on your kids' ages, if you're moving into summer and are trying to name some things about screen time, ask your kids what they think. Like name for them that they love screen time, but that's also not the only thing that they love. So ask them if they have ideas of how to approach it or what house rules might work. Bring them into the conversation. And then finally, write it down.

Once you know your house rules, write them down. So the other day, oh my gosh, the other day I went into my oldest room where he was supposed to be doing his math homework. Granted, he had done it. He had finished. But I found him playing a math computer game on his school computer. Now, one of our only screen time rules, It's like the biggest one is ask first. Just ask first. I don't want them sneaking. And sometimes what they ask for, I might say yes to. Like, it's, I'm not a tyrant or anything. So I just say ask first. It's a very simple rule. And we repeat it all the time. And yet he was still playing. Now, you might be thinking, well, yeah, he was hiding. But here's what's crazy is when I asked him, when I was like, hey, Sam, what's our only real rule about screen time? He got.

like four or five things that were not at all ask first. And he has lost a lot of screen time in the past as a consequence for not following that rule. So we talk about it all the time and he still forgot. We didn't write it down. Writing it down helps, making it visible somewhere where they see it. It's going to make things a lot easier for you and your kids. Okay. So there's no single way to do this. Let's recap. You need to use your kid screen time to intentionally fill your own bucket, and you can reset this summer, or anytime really, by making it clear, making it collaborative, and writing it down. The ride that steals the spotlight every time it hits the road, that's the Volkswagen TIG-1.

Its sleek exterior makes a first impression you can't ignore. Step inside to find available full leather seats and wood accents. Under the hood, the available 201 turbocharged horsepower engine gives it a fun to drive edge. The refined Tiguan, you deserve more style. Visit vw.ca to learn more. SUVW, German engineered for all. Now let's run through a few possible house rules that you could use when it comes to kids and their screen time. First one, have a time limit. A lot of devices have time limits built in for kids or you can just set a stopwatch on your phone like whenever a kid is doing screen time. they get, you know, for example, 30 or 60 or 90 or 120 minutes a day, whatever you want to say, however many minutes. And they can use those minutes whenever they want. But once the minutes are gone,

then they're gone for the day. This is likely a house rule that is good for like reasonably responsible kids who understand delayed gratification. Like my Ben, he would do really well with his house rule. Sam would not. Sam would not. See, he would burn up his time before breakfast and then would complain all day. So you know your kids best, but one approach is setting up a house rule around a time limit that is not connected to a particular time of day. The second approach is a house rule that's attached to a specific time of day. So maybe you have screen time. It's built into your rhythm. You know, it's like, we do screen time from three to four every day or from 10 to 11 every day or during breakfast every day or whatever you want to say. Now, I will say that this does cause

a bit of a stir if your days are not as routine and so you frequently miss screen time. So I think attaching screen time to a certain time of day, it really works best if you know that your days are going to be fairly rhythmic already. Okay. So that first approach is to have a time limit that can be used any time of the day. The second approach is to choose a specific time of day. The third approach is to allow screen time only after other things have been done. So maybe you have daily sheets, which I talk about in the kids chores episode. We'll link to that in the show notes. Maybe during the summer, like before they have screen time, they need to read outside or play outside. Maybe they read, they make something. They have to do a chore, like whatever you want them to do. But,

And they have to do that for a certain amount of time before they get screen time. Okay. So it's not really, this is what's so great about it. It's not really your choice. It's the list choice. You just like point to the list on your fridge or wherever it is. And you say like, hey, have you done all your things? Now, if you have kids who struggle to see screen time as just like part of a list of things

that they enjoy, this can make screen time better than the other things. Like it could set it up. as screen time is better. It's kind of like holding dessert hostage until dinner is over, you know, like for some kids that works, but for others it just doesn't. And it is okay if this doesn't work for your kids. It doesn't really work for mine very well because it diminishes the power and fun of the playing and the reading and the other things by almost setting screen time against it. But then there are other kids I know who this works perfectly for. So just remember that, that nothing is going to work for everybody. Okay. A fourth approach to a way that you can make a

house rule is to think about energy. Think about your energy or your kids energy and make a rule around that. I once heard someone say that they don't give their kids screen time before lunch at all because the kids have a harder time getting their momentum and energy going for the rest of the day. If they start the day with screen time, everything else seems like a downer. And the day just sort of goes down hill and I have seen that to be true in my family as well. Now again, that's not true for everyone. But a house rule could very much be kind of protecting certain days, certain times of day and the energy in those times of day and being like no screen time before 2 o'clock. Like that's it. The kids know that. They know that that's going to be the answer

before they even ask. And then you can decide how it works after 2 o'clock. But you could think about energy. A fifth way is to treat different days with different approaches. Maybe you don't do screen time on certain days of the week or you for sure do it on others. Okay. Maybe like rainy days get extra time or maybe really hot days get extra time. You know, you get the idea. The point is that not every day needs to be the exact same when it comes to screen time. not every day is treated the same with the same rules. And then a sixth way is just to let it ride. Now, depending on who you are and where and how you live, what your kids are like, all those things,

your kids might not have an expectation of daily screen time. They do other stuff happily. They may even prefer that other stuff over screen time. So you can actually have your house rule be, just ask first because you know that they're not going to ask all the time, right? The point here, if you have not been. able to tell already is that everyone is different. Everyone needs to parent around screen time differently and every kid responds to rules around screen time differently as well. So name what matters to you. Name what

matters to your kid. Name what matters about your day. How do you want screen time to be a supportive part of that day and not just another thing that you do that the kids whine for constantly, right? Look at it intention for you first and then for them. And once you figure out what you need, create a house rule that is very, very clear. And it will keep a lot of that whining at bay. And that's how to lazy genius screen time for kids. You've got to know by now that I'm not going to give you like a formula or a schedule for very obvious reasons. We just don't do that here. If you are new and you have not gathered from this episode on its own. I just don't like giving prescriptives. We are just too different for that. What we all need are tools to apply to our own situations, to our own lives

and needs. So I hope that these give you some direction and how you can approach your screen time. I will say, I think the most important thing that I just said is that screen time needs to be for you. Let it serve you. What do you need to do during that time? I think that's the winner here. It's so fun to listen to old episodes that have like the old intro and they don't have any, they don't have any extra things, you know? It's just like here's, here's 10 minutes of Kendra talking about something. But I really do hope that listening to that was helpful in that, in that short, robust list of rules and reminders, kind rules, house rules, just structure to help you look at screen time in a way that is life-giving for everyone. And again, like I said,

in the beginning, feels like you're not reinventing the wheel all the time. So thank you so much for listening to this rerun episode today. We have hundreds of episodes in the archive waiting to help you. So if you have a topic that you would like me to lazy genius, I might have already done it. So search in whatever search engine you like, lazy genius and that thing, or you can go to our website, the lazy genius collective.com and just search that thing. You will almost certainly get something that helps you right now. Now, if your search does not result in what you are looking for, feel free to reach out to us at hello at the lazy genius collective.com. We are always happy to hear from listeners and making the show better and getting your show idea topics. So if you have

anything you would like to share with us, we love to hear from you. This podcast is part of the Odyssey family and the Office Ladies Network. This episode is hosted by me, Kendra Adachi, and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fisher, and Angela Kinsey. Special thanks to Leah Jarvis for weekly production. If you'd like a podcast recap every other week, be sure to sign up for the latest lazy listens email that goes out every other Friday. Head to the lazy geniuscollective.com slash listens to get it. Thanks y'all for listening.

And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra, and I'll see you on Monday.