How the AAP's family media plan starts a conversation

Last checked on 4 October 2026.

What would you like phones, videos and games to fit around in your family? That question offers a starting point before anyone chooses a time limit.

Megan Moreno and colleagues explain the American Academy of Pediatrics' approach in The Family Media Plan. Published online on 26 November 2024, it appears in the journal Pediatrics' December issue and describes the plan's 2022 revision.

According to the authors, the revised plan asks families to choose a few priorities and return to update them. Adults were added as plan members, so boundaries apply to caregivers too. The authors describe categories including privacy, choosing content, screen-free times and using media together.

What the paper does and does not show

The 2024 paper reports how the tool was developed. It does not establish that completing the revised plan improves sleep, mood or physical activity. The authors call for research on those outcomes.

Megan Moreno and colleagues published a randomised trial in JAMA Pediatrics on 25 January 2021. It enrolled 1,520 teenagers aged 12 to 17 and their parents. Teenagers reported no statistically significant change in engagement with media rules compared with the control group.

The trial tested a one-off online plan that families could keep as a printout or screenshot. The authors suggested that a large number of rule options might have made them hard to follow, among other possible reasons such as no reminders. That was a possible explanation, rather than a demonstrated cause. The trial did not include children under 12 or test the revised plan.

What the AAP recommends now

The AAP's policy statement dated 20 January 2026 moves beyond viewing children's media use through screen-time limits alone. It still recommends a Family Media Plan to discuss boundaries for the whole family.

The AAP's announcement that day says the statement and accompanying report replace its prior communications and media guidance. It also suggests talking with a pediatrician if you have concerns about your child's media use.

A recommendation tells you what a body suggests. A measured outcome tells you what happened in a study. That distinction matters when deciding what to expect from a family conversation.

What we could read

We read the original paper, including its sections on revisions and future research. We could not view the AAP's online tool while checking this article. We describe it from the 2024 paper and the AAP's how-to page.

You can open the original tool to see its current choices. The questions below are our conversation examples. They are not quotations from the AAP, a completed AAP plan or a tested intervention.

Start with an ordinary day

Choose a day everyone remembers. Ask each person to describe when they used a device and what they were doing. Someone might have watched a lesson, called a grandparent or played after school.

You could ask:

• What did you enjoy watching or playing?
• Was there something you wanted help understanding?
• When did you want someone else to put their phone down?
• Which part of the day would you like us to spend together?

Give adults the same questions. A child could ask a parent about work messages during dinner. A parent could explain when a message needs an answer and when it can wait.

The aim here is to hear each person's account. You do not need to settle every disagreement in that first discussion.

Make one proposed rule specific

Imagine a family choosing to put devices away during a shared meal. They could discuss where devices will go. They could also name exceptions, such as an expected call from a relative.

Compare two possible agreements. One says everyone should use phones less. Another says phones will stay on a nearby shelf during dinner, unless the family agrees otherwise.

The second describes an action you can discuss afterwards. Your family's chosen rule may look different.

Ask what would make an agreement difficult. Does someone need the tablet for homework? Does a caregiver need to remain reachable? Write those circumstances beside the proposed rule, so they stay part of the conversation.

Ask about endings and help

Before choosing a gaming rule, look at the activity together. Ask your child to show you what happens at the end.

• Is there a round or session you can finish?
• Does the activity start again automatically?
• What happens if you stop in the middle of a shared game?
• Who can you ask for help if something feels uncomfortable?

These are questions to talk about, not an AAP time limit.

For questions about health claims in games, our mental-challenges article explains the research limits. Our six-pillars overview reports broader brain-health topics separately.

Choose a time to talk again

You could write one agreed action and choose a day to review it. At that conversation, ask what was easy, what was difficult and what needs changing.

For example, a shared tablet might be needed for schoolwork earlier than expected. The family could change the agreement to reflect that. An adult might also need to explain why they made an exception.

This is a way to organise a conversation, with no promised outcome. One clear next step is to open the AAP plan together and compare its current choices with your own priorities.

---

How freegama fits

Optional product note. freegama is free to play, with no ads, no chat between players and no spending inside games. No account is needed.

The daily set ends after four games and takes about six minutes. More practice is optional and does not start automatically. Games, instructions and results show on the screen.

freegama shows a streak and a countdown to the next daily set. You can ignore both and stop whenever you like.

These are product features you can check together, rather than evidence of a health or learning benefit. The AAP paper did not test freegama. Our parent page explains the features, and our Privacy page explains analytics and data handling.