Tell Us How You Limit Screen Time & You Could Win a Movie Projector!
Enter our Hip2Save’s Engaged Reader Monthly Giveaway and share how to reduce screen time in your home.
Hey, Hip community! 👋🏻
In case you missed it, we recently started a new monthly reader giveaway where we celebrate & reward our most engaged readers! Every month, an unannounced surprise blog post will go live to spark some discussion in the comments.
May is nearly over, and with summer break on the horizon, we’re thrilled to announce our next Engaged Reader Monthly Giveaway below as we talk all things screen time! 📺
We want to hear from you!
🚨 Engaged Reader Monthly Giveaway Question:
How do you manage screen time for both your kids and yourself?
Share by putting your comment below about how you manage screen time in your home for our Hip community to read.
By leaving a comment, you’re entering to win a TMY Mini Outdoor Projector with Screen!
We know this month’s prize is a little ironic given the commenting prompt, but hey… a little screen time can go a long way when it brings the whole family together (or gives you a well-earned break during summer!).
And guess what? We’re picking TWO lucky winners! So be sure to leave a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win a TMY Mini Outdoor Projector—perfect for cozy backyard movie nights or spontaneous living room cinema vibes.
How to Enter:
- Comment Below: Share how you manage screen time for both your kids and yourself!
- Duration: The commenting entry period starts on Wednesday, 5/21/25 at 7 AM MT and ends on Friday, 5/23/25 at 6:59 AM MT.
- Eligibility: All approved comments within the entry period are eligible.
Winner Notifications:
Winners will be contacted via email at the email address associated with their Hip2Save account or the email used when leaving their comments. You do not need to include your email address within your comment. All giveaway correspondence will come from our giveaway team at [email protected].
Here’s what our Hip team shared about how to reduce screen time for themselves and their kids:
“I had an Instagram doom-scrolling problem and couldn’t break the habit, so I set up screen time controls on my iPhone so that I can only use the Instagram app for 30 minutes a day. After 30 minutes, it fades out the app icon on the home screen and shows a “time limit reached” blocker screen if I try to open it. That said, it does give the option to override it, which is helpful if I need to look at Hip2Save’s story or check a DM, but other than that, the blocked screen is enough to deter the mindless scroll.
I really should set it up on other apps that I can get sucked into. But when I realize I’ve been on my phone way too long, I chuck it across the room onto another chair, and my laziness prevents me from getting up to go back on it.” – Emily
“Personally, the best decision I’ve made regarding my screen time is only allowing myself to watch Netflix or scroll while I’m at the gym 😅 Netflix for the treadmill (plus, it makes the time go by SO fast) and scrolling for stationary bikes/stairmaster, etc. I’ve Pavloved myself into really enjoying the gym, because now I can watch episodes or movies I’ve added to my watch list! Yesterday I watched A Marriage Story, and thankfully my tears were disguised by my sweat LOL). Granted, I still find myself scrolling a bit, but this new system definitely helped me cut down my screen time (and inactivity) A LOT!” – Madison
“I have a TikTok doom-scrolling problem that after transforms into a ‘let me send this to so & so’ problem, and next thing you know, it’s 2 am and I have yet to fall asleep. So I’m a ‘once I enter the bedroom, the phone MUST stay on the charger’ person. That has worked pretty well. As for the mini humans, we are a TV in the living room ONLY family, so I only have 1 TV in the house and zero iPads for them. If you want to watch something, it must be educational and in the living room; if not, go play with all those toys everyone keeps sending ya. Other than that, I don’t really have a time limit set, as they get bored quickly and usually drift away to make a mess somewhere or request music to play on Alexa.” – Krystal
“A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I decided to try a ‘ no phones in the bathroom, in bed, or on the couch’ for a week, and since then have kept it going for the most part. We’re both reaching for our books more over the phones and much more mindful of when we start going down endless scrolling rabbit holes.” – Elizabeth
Some of us admitted that we don’t have a limit for screen time in our homes…
“Honestly, I don’t really have a strict approach to managing screen time for my kids. We’re usually pretty busy—between school, sports, and just being out with friends, they don’t seem all that drawn to their phones. They both have them, but they’re more likely to be outside than glued to a screen. On rainy or off days, I’m fine with them watching something or being on their phones, unless there’s something around the house they can help with. As for me, since I work on a computer all day, I usually don’t feel like being on a screen much outside of that. We’re also not a big TV-watching family, so screen time doesn’t really come up as a big thing for us. That said, I do take their phones after a certain time at night so I know they’re not up all night on them.” – Sara
“Being super honest, I don’t really manage it for myself or my teens. I do take mental note if I feel my kids are not active enough, which would then allow for more screen time potential. And I do the same for myself. So, staying productive or active helps indirectly reduce the screen time.” – Amber
“I’m right there with Amber. We don’t have a set time limit or structure, as we’re typically pretty busy outside of work and school (and the kids don’t take technology with them when we go do things). When we are at the house and they are playing for a while, we just kinda gauge what feels right. After a while, we make them take breaks, go play outside, go find things to do, etc. We try to keep them all in the living room whenever possible, and when it’s a weekend, everyone is at home, we make them all agree on what movies/shows to watch. I know screen time isn’t the best, but I am a sucker for a good documentary or movies. When I have free time (which is rare), that is usually my favorite way to spend it.” – Monica
“When my kiddos were younger, I was more strict with screen time. We limited it to a few hours a day, but now that they are teenagers, as long as their grades are good and the chores are done, we don’t have any screen time limitations. My boys aren’t into sports; they are both gamers like their dad, so if I’m being honest, if we aren’t out doing something together, they spend the majority of their time at home on a computer or playing on our Xbox/PlayStation with friends.
The one thing I do still set limits on is social media screen time. The only social media app they are allowed to have right now is TikTok, and I use the family manager feature on it to limit the videos they see to age-appropriate ones, set screen time limits (they get 1 hour a day), and block incoming/outgoing messages. It’s worked great for us, and if we are on a road trip or school breaks, I can easily adjust the time they can use it per day.” – Liz
“I don’t set a screen time limit for myself because after working on screens all day, I prefer the break over scrolling. I typically only use my phone for grocery lists and communicating with my hubby. For my kiddos, we are also too busy during the week to have time for screens. But, with summer right around the corner, parents might be looking for a different approach than just ‘NO, because I said so.’ Last summer, the quarter method worked for my kids and I incorporated it both to limit screen time and to teach them independence and self-discipline!
The way it works is: every morning, my kids receive four quarters each. 1 quarter = 30 minutes. I chose four because, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it’s recommended no more than 2 hours a day for kids over 5 years, but for someone with older kiddos, they could always modify the # of quarters. When they were ready to ‘spend’ their quarter, they would place it in a jar and proceed with their 30 minutes. This way, even my youngest could visually see how many quarters he’d have left for the day, and it was up to them whether they wanted to spend it all at once or space it out. They also all know how to use Alexa and can set the 30-minute timer themselves, so it is completely self-monitored and not like mom is always telling them what to do 😉
I have also worked screen time into their schedule in the past, like 8:30- 9:00 breakfast, 9:00- 9:30 screen time, but this year I just went with a general ‘Summer Schedule’ to give them ideas what to do with their free time, otherwise it would just be ‘Mom, Mom, Mom play with me, play with me,’ while I work.” – Chelsey
And Lina reminded us all that we’re simply doing our best, so don’t apologize for the screen time you do have.
“Hot Take: No advice because my kids and I were/are literally the worst at limiting screen time. LOL. Well, maybe not my husband. But just wanted to say we are all out here doing our best and do not have mom guilt for this if you need a break or whatever. Also, I credit a lot of my success in my role in marketing as a creator to my screen time addiction, if we are being honest. LOL So, not all bad in the end. Haha” – Lina
We can’t wait to hear all about your screen time habits and kick off summer break with our amazing community!
Happy Summer break from all of us at Hip2Save! ☀️ We love and appreciate you all. 💕
Our kids have a checklist of things they need to do before they can have screens, including eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, reading, cleaning their room, etc. Once they’re done with the checklist, they’re able to be on screens for two hours. Two hours still seems like a lot to me, but they play online games with their friends, so there’s a social aspect to screens.
One of our favorite ways to keep our family screen time in check over the summer is with great reading programs! My kids and I are currently reading through a Mensa reading list (that I found here on Hip!) and our local library will start their summer reading program for both kids and adults next week! We are all already excited!
I got laidoff and so now I have started taking my kid for the library stem activities after school which he absolutely loves. After that is homework time that then either Karate class or baseball practice after which he gets screen time. this is working for now. i have to limit my kid’s screen time coz he has astigmatism and his eye glass number increases every 6 months.
We would go to the library and play outside!!!!
No tablets in the car just listening to music and playing silly car games.
As an adult by 7 PM, no electronics
No screens during family social times, we incorporate family game nights, movie nights, visiting local attractions or events to deter screen time, and it helps build family time and make memories. (With that said, I love to see family specials like board games, etc. on H2S!)
On the other hand, when needed we do rely on the help of the Apple’s screen time, which is very helpful with the littles and helps with pushing them to play outdoors! My eldest kids choose to listen to music and chill for the most part when they are supposed to be off social media.
So our household consist of a 65+ female, a 40+ female and a 10 yr old female. three generations. the two adults are on their own but as for the 10 yr old, we have her earn her screen time. She can earn minute for minute when doing school work and when she does a chore that is not on her set list of chores, she earns minute for minute again. Finally if she watches educational television, she earns one minute of screen time per two minutes of educational TV. She is only allowed to carry time over for a special occasion. We can adjust as needed and as she grows
Growing up, I came from a very strict family, which meant no phone calls, very strict screen times, and most definitely no internet in the home. I have never wanted to be that parent and told myself I would allow my kids to have screen freedom as long as they are responsible and aren’t on there 24/7. My son is a very, very sweet boy who struggles with his weight and making friends, so he doesn’t like to go out very much, and is on the spectrum and struggles with his weight. I knew having him indoors on the screen all summer wouldn’t be healthy for him because that would mean he is sitting down and not getting much exercise. Those challenges might not be big for some parents, but for u,s they are everything! One summer, I gave him a challenge of working out before getting screen time. We didn’t know what we were doing, but it worked! He dropped over 50 pounds by eating healthier and working out to earn screen time. This summer I’m the one needing to drop weight, and I’m about to challenge myself to do it! Bummed I cant post the before and after pictures. So proud of my son!
for my kid we have started the rule of every 60 mins of screen time needs a break of 30 mins without screens. For myself, i dont use screens a lot since i dont have any social media but i do make myself do an off screen activity every day. Whether that is go for a walk or do a hobby.
we would go fishing or to the park early until night for the kids and for the adults no phone for all day only calls
To manage screen time for both my kids and myself, I set clear daily limits and stick to consistent routines, like no screens during meals or one hour before bedtime. I encourage outdoor play, reading, and creative activities to balance digital time with real-world engagement. For myself, I use app timers and reminders to stay mindful and model healthy tech habits for my children.
During the school year my kids (12, 9, 5) have a no screens rule M-Th {with the exception of sports games we might watch as a family… ie Manchester United game this afternoon:) } On the weekends they are given an amount of time and can monitor on their own using Alexa/timers. In the summer, they have a daily list {quiet time, quick school related item- math or reading, contribute to the family, gratitude chart, chores} to complete. Once that is finished, they are given 1-2 hours depending on our schedule that day that they can do screens. They certainly love screen time, but the more we implement no screen days, the more they realize how much they loving being outside/active and playing games so we might need to adjust our summer schedule with a few no screen days too. It was hard at first but no one complains anymore and those days where it’s off the table end up being our favorite most of the time (the kids agree too!) I gave up social media a year ago after being tired of continually feeling like I didn’t have enough time to get everything done and always being exhausted. It was the best thing for me and I can’t imagine I will ever go back. It was hard and definitely still is at times, but I am a no longer feeling the weight of not having everything done and always rushing and being exhausted. So for me it helped!
Family time is my favorite thing and the screen/projector would be an amazing addition to our summer fun!
I decide on age-appropriate daily or weekly limits and stick to them along with designating certain times (e.g., during meals, homework, bedtime) and places (e.g., bedrooms) as screen-free. I encourage other activities, such as outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and social interaction.
We do no screens (except for homework) on school nights and then on weekends their chores have to be done before screens. We use Greenlight to assign chores. During summer and weekends, they typically play for a few hours in the morning then we do outside/family/creative time for the afternoons and try to do family screens or no screens in the evenings if we aren’t busy. I LOVE the quarter idea and am definitely going to use that for my 8 and 13 year old now!!!!
Hey! I’m able to manage screen time for myself by reading more. I find that if I delay turning on the TV and open windows the outdoors sounds make it easy to start cleaning or reorganizing things here and there. However, for the kiddo we go out more – to the parks, the Y and lately the track field. Also, especially during summer a lot to do board games
All phones are docked at 9am and no electronics in the bedrooms.
And the only site I’m allowed to “scroll” is hip2save of course! 😆
LOL love that, Mary! 😆 Totally the kind of “scrolling” we’re all about (I’m guilty of the same!) 📱 Thanks a bunch for making us your go-to—we sure appreciate YOU! 💕
We don’t really reduce screen time at our house. I work all day and my brothers work outside in the yard most days and on the cars so they are always busy. I mostly read books but sometimes I watch YouTube or Pluto on my phone but mostly I read. My brother plays one game and sometimes watches TV using the antenna. I have certain nights that I watch TV too. Can’t give up my FBI and NCIS…. We are busy with real life so mostly we are not on our phones or the internet. Nothing in our house is internet connected either. We are old school.
I have limitations that are set for my daughter’s phone. Once it shuts down, she can only text or call. If it’s nice, I try to keep us outside for the most part. My doom scrolling is always when I go to bed and I’ll have to read everyone’s tips on stopping that haha
Our little guy is 4 and already has already show signs of screen addiction so we opted to limit this severely. First off he only gets his iPad while travelling distances or at his older sister’s volleyball tournaments. It’s the tv that is more of an issue. Lately we have just decided, if he is exhibiting appropriate behavior he can get tv for 20-30 minutes before the bedtime routine. We fill the time with all kinds of other activities like playing outside, swim class, sports class, t-ball, working on writing, coloring, library trips, walks, lego’s, etc… anything but TV! I can share that it’s been easier to turn the tv off when he knows the routine. On the weekends he does have ‘cartoon mornings’ for a little early am so the adult can still relax although he woke us up at 6am!
We have time limits set on tablets/gaming devices. They receive extended time on road trips, which makes it a treat. We don’t have strict rules on TVs/movies because we spend most of the day at school/work anyway. When we all get home in the evenings, the kids do chores/homework, then watch a show or two until supper. After we eat together, we do baths, then usually watch a show or part of a movie as a family until bedtime. Typically, being super restrictive with anything leads to kids wanting to sneak or not knowing what to do with freedom when they do have it. We encourage them to play with toys, read, do crafts, play outside, etc. Screens have honestly never been a battle.
For myself, I have time limits set up on my phone and a “habits” app that tracks how many days I’ve obeyed my time limits. I also try to keep my phone in another room when the kids are home with me.
We tend to demonize screens, but as with anything else, there is plenty of good too! We enjoy lots of family movies and shows, many of which come from books and/or teach valuable lessons. Many shows we watch are also educational. As with anything else, balance and moderation are important. 🙂
We try and incorporate a lot of family game nights, and set time limits on the phone and tablet.
Screen time is limited here. I tell them the guidelines of the American Pediatrics is two hours and we try really hard to go by that. I do the same thing with the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep. It’s really hard and they don’t like it but they find other things to do or sometimes they do sit there and be bored. I don’t really have a “strategy” because I’ve always parented like this.
Our teens have screen time limits set on their phones (we have the controls) using Family Link. We all try and go outside, play games, or do chores in between watching shows or being on the Xbox!
First, we give ourselves some grace because my husband and I both work full time and cannot afford childcare here in Hawaii, so when we have meetings or absolutely need our little ones to be quiet then the screens are very helpful. There is a lot of good content available where my children can learn things as they watch. They can watch read alouds, learn about places we are not able to visit ourselves, learn songs and practice singing and dancing, learn about skills such as cooking, baking, drawing, etc. Not all screen time is bad, and I had to change my perspective to see how much they can actually learn and develop interests by watching tv. My favorite trick for managing screen time is cleaning! The chore that keeps the kids occupied the longest is if I dump out ALL the toys and have the kids reorganize them. They end up playing for a few hours because they see all the toys that were at the bottom of the toy bins that they haven’t played with in ages. Then when I’m finally ready to pitch in, we work on sorting everything out and putting things away, which can also take up a lot of time because it is challenging to tackle the mounds of toys! But at the end, we’ve had hours of fun (sprinkled with whining and complaining about cleaning, of course) without spending any money, my kids practice sorting and organizing, PLUS the toy areas look neat…for at least the rest of the day.
As a new mom of twins, I have found it hard to limit screen time for myself so I can be present! It’s been helping me to listen to audio books when I’m feeling bored. 🙂
My kids are 8 and 10 and they each take turns picking 30 minutes of something to watch on TV on a weeknight, so it ends up being about one hour total. If one doesn’t care to watch something the other has picked, they can use that time to play Minecraft or something similar on their computer. It helps that it’s the hour before my husband gets home from work that way they have someone to turn their attention to when it’s over. A movie is okay on the weekend. My son is now asking for a gaming device so I’ll have to figure out those limits soon!
My teenage daughter has homework and chores to do before dinner. There are no phones allowed at the table. After dinner, dishes must be done, showers must be taken and then you get your phone and or tv for 1 hour. This is for the adults also, we lead by example. The only social media allowed in our house is Facebook. My daughter plays travel softball, so this keeps our schedule busy with outdoor tournaments. On the weekends we don’t have softball tournaments we do a lot of outdoor family activities like biking, fishing, going to state parks, going to the beach, etc. When we are at home we play board games, read books and cook/bake. Family time is very special, we enjoy every minute of it and we don’t take it for granted! Kids grow up to fast!
We have no tech “T” days (Tuesday and Thursday). On those days we limit tech to necessary use only (pay bills, email, but only if necessary, etc) We have done this for years and it is helpful to unplug 2 days a week. We have found this is to be a simple way to unplug. My teen and I also decided we were spending too much time on a particular photo app, so they chose to add on to our not tech “T” days that she and I will stay off that app until July 1st. We will then talk about it and decided together if we will return to the app or that we really didn’t miss it. Years of no tech on two days a week has really helped my teen realize that tech is a tool and also for fun, but you don’t always need it. 🙂
No limits on screen time, but I try to use screen time can be used for good, not just doom-scrolling. I volunteer with a nonprofit bt answering emails for them and use YouTube for workout videos.
No electronics until routines are done so in the morning if you’re ready for school early you may get 10-15 minutes before heading out. Or in the evening if you finish your evening routine before bedtime you might earn a few minutes….my kids often get busy on side tangents at night so rarely do they have any screens right before bedtime. And I tend to check my phone/favorite sites primarily when breastfeeding so when my kiddo is done momma is done too. 🙂
I have all notifications turned off and consistently keep my phone on do not disturb so I’m able to look at it when I want to and I’m not being tempted by a notification I also have screen free zones in my house such as the kitchen table and the family room I have actively set out to identify my triggers such as awkward silence at the dinner table and come up with a back up plan and do not pick up my phone as a safety net I also try to reduce my time weekly by 10 minutes based on what Apple sends me as my screen time report and if I’m feeling brave I leave my phone behind and solely use my Apple Watch which allows me to stay in contact without being tempted to be on it for a long time
I use the system that we use in life. You earn extra screen time in exchange for doing additional things during the week without being told to do so. You help with the dishes you earn an additional 20 minutes, you take out the trash additional 20 minutes, At the end of the week and you are allowed to use 75% of your time the additional time rolls over to the next week. Also in addition it is your responsibility to keep track of your time and rollovers, like balancing a check book. Teaching without preaching.
We keep books around the house instead of on a designated wall which makes picking up something to read easier. We also have a no gaming rule on school nights/ weeknights.
We use a BRICK. It’s a little block you can stick anywhere. We stick it magnetically to our fridge. To set it up you download the app and choose what you want to block from use. It can be apps or websites. Then you BRICK your phone and all the chosen things are blocked. If you try to use them your screen says “this is a distraction” and you can not unbrick it until you walk up to the block and tap it with your phone. It is just annoying enough to make me think twice about unbricking.
I always have print reading material (magazines, books) handy at home. This way there is an easy alternative to screen time.
One way I was able to get away from my screen is buying a physical alarm clock. Now I don’t have the excuse that my phone needs to be near me and I get much better sleep. I’ve also switched to physical books or my kindle, instead of my phones kindle app. I’m able to stay on task and really immerse myself—and nothing really beats the feel and experience of s physical book.
I use Google family on my kids’ phones. I set the time limit and it locks once they’ve reached it. If they want any extra time then they have to do some extra chores.
Spending time outdoors as a family, we love camping and going no electricity. Fishing, going to the lake, hiking, etc. You can see how much more creative they become. We also use the screen time
Option iPhone has to provide limits for the kids and downtime after a certain time our household becomes no phones allowed. Time to settle down, so read, board games, puzzle books etc.
Limited to an hour a day for all humans in the house. And an Alexa announcement goes off at 7 pm to make sure nobody goes past that hard stop. Amazed by all the family time that’s available after making those adjustments 🙂
We let our child watch TV before school freely. After school we impose a Lexia tax on screen time. My child has to complete a lesson in Lexia core 5 before she can watch anything not educational.
Instead of setting limits, we make non screen time fun. My kids (now teens) love reading time. We light a candle, play a classical playlist (created by one of them) and get cozy. When the kids were younger we would play “powers out” and we would do puzzles, read, color or just talk. We still do this but don’t need to “play” powers out. When non screen time is a pleasure and not a punishment it leads to lifelong habits.
Some screen time is unavoidable, like school or work as far as our computers go, but we try to have a weekend day for a movie everyone agrees on as well as a show we all like to watch. Playing board games, doing puzzles, arts and crafts, cooking together, and reading are what we do inside. When the weather is tolerable, walking, kicking or throwing a ball around, playing bean bag toss, or fishing are some of the fun activities we enjoy. Having music on in the background will help us get some of the wiggling energetic ones to dance out some of their hyper activeness. It sure would be neat to have a large projector to watch a movie together with little snacks to munch and invite the neighbors over for the fun. 🙂
I like the suggestion when you’re going in the car somewhere not to have the screens in the hands. Time in the car can be really productive time to communicate!
A couple weeks ago our power went out,which was a total bummer, but when it came back on the wifi router stopped working. We were obviously upset but waited a while until it came back. It took 4 hours and it was still not working! We did eventually have to get on the phone with our service provider to resolve but this was not until 6 hours sans wifi .
In those internet less hours we learned that the kids can pick up new hobbies (origami, paper mache , and wrestling lol) in those hours. They bonded beautifully and got along fine without their wifi. Since then we unexpectedly have recurring wifi outages out of nowhere . And the kids get to learn a new hobby every now and then 😅
As general rules , my kids cannot use their screens during our morning car rides (morning car rides to school are the best opportunity to connect ! ) , during dinner and one hour after dinner , and strict cutoff at 8 pm .
I love hearing everyone’s suggestions. Our girls are younger (4 & 7) and don’t socialize via screens so screen time is super limited for them. My husband and I are intentional with spending time with them everyday either outside or inside depending on the weather conditions. We give them a few hours of screen time on the weekends and several hours during the week occasionally…everyone’s attitude is better when screens are limited.
We have a movie (or show night) every Friday night with our kids (11 yo, 8 yo, 6 yo, 3 yo). This way they look forward to watching a movie and they know it’s only for the weekend. It really makes the end of the week fun for the whole family.
For our toddler, TV is the best. But since we’re trying to get her in a routine of getting herself ready (potty, teeth, hair), we use the TV as leverage. Thankfully she’s not interested in our phones yet but we try our best to stay off screens as much as possible
My daughter and I have 1 hour a night. Once we start using our phone, we set a timer for 1 hour. Once the timer goes off, our time is up.
We have those food containers that lock and don’t open until the time is up. During homework time the phone goes in there until home work is done. During family meals, phones go in there for 60 minutes. So far it has worked well. I’d love to win this! I’ve been wanting one of these to do one of those fun outdoor movie nights in the fall, with a fire going and popcorn 🤗
That sounds like such a smart and intentional way to manage screen time, Tricia! 🙌 And your outdoor movie night vision with a fire and popcorn sounds amazing! Fingers crossed you score the win! 🍿🔥🎬
When my kids were little they had a list to do to earn screen time on tablets. Now that they are teens, we all have app limits and screen time. It does help remind you how much you’ve been on your phone. We try to swim, read a book, play a game to break up the time.