In partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple has released a new guide to help families create healthy digital habits that balance screen time with sleep, exercise, schoolwork, and time with friends and family.
The AAP’s expert guidance has been tailored for Apple’s new parental controls in “Building Healthy Digital Habits: A Guide for Families.”
Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness, said this guide walks families through six steps:
- Start a conversation about screen time, with tips for parents to approach the topic and establish expectations in a way that helps kids feel included in the plan.
- Create a Child Account, which enables age-based safeguards and gives parents access to parental controls to manage their child’s experience.
- Set safety settings for websites and apps, including Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse, so families can review new apps and websites together.
- Make a schedule for device use, using Time Allowances and Schedules to balance time online with sleep, schoolwork, physical activity, and time with family and friends.
- Manage communications, with parents deciding who their child can communicate with and Communication Safety, on by default for all users under 18, helping protect kids from viewing or sharing sensitive content.
- Continue the conversation as kids grow, with guidance on adjusting the family’s plan over time.
There’s also more detailed information on the AAP’s screen time guidance by age group, from infants to teens, to help families consider their choices around media use. Learn more about Apple’s approach to child safety at this link.
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