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PARENT GUIDE · DIGITAL

Screen time and AI tools for children, by age

Not whether children use screens, but how much, what for, and with what rules — from the toddler years to Class XII.

IN SHORT

Keep screens away from children under 2 (video calls aside) and to about an hour a day of good-quality content for ages 2–5, watched with you. From school age, set clear limits around sleep, homework and family time rather than a single number. Teach older children to use AI tools to understand, not to copy — and to check what they are told.

Updated · Mayo International School, Patparganj, East Delhi

Under 2
No screens (video calls aside)
Ages 2–5
About 1 hour, with a parent
School age
Clear rules, not just a number
Bedrooms
Screen-free at night

Age by age

The World Health Organization advises no sedentary screen time for children under 2 and no more than an hour a day for children aged 2 to 4. After that, how a screen is used matters more than the minutes.

Under 2Talk, read, play. Video calls with family are fine.
2 to 5Up to about an hour of slow, good-quality content, ideally watched together
6 to 12Screens after homework and outdoor play; none in the hour before bed
13 and overAgreed limits, phones out of the bedroom at night, open talk about what they see online

AI tools and chatbots

AI tools can explain a concept in a new way, quiz a child or check working. They can also be wrong, and they make it easy to hand in work that isn't the child's own.

  • Below the teens, use AI tools together, not alone
  • Use it to explain, quiz and check — not to write answers
  • Always check facts against the textbook or a teacher
  • Never share personal details, photos or school information with a chatbot

Family rules that work

  • Screens off at meals and an hour before bed
  • Devices charge outside bedrooms overnight
  • Parents follow the same rules
  • Weekend screen time agreed in advance, not negotiated on the spot

How Mayo helps

Computer learning is on the timetable in two computer labs, with a digital skills academy from Class I, and students attend cyber-safety workshops. In the early years, twenty-one Bagless Days a session for LKG to Class III put hands-on learning first.

Questions parents ask

How much screen time is OK for a child?

None for under-2s (video calls aside), about an hour a day of good-quality content for ages 2 to 5, and agreed limits around sleep, homework and family time for older children.

Should children use ChatGPT or other AI tools?

Older children can, to understand and practise — not to produce answers. Younger children should use them only with a parent, and no one should share personal details with a chatbot.

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Sources

Rules change each year: check the official notice for your year. Mayo's own figures come from the school's records.

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