How do I manage screen limits with older kids who need devices for schoolwork too? 

Parenting Perspective 

With older children, the line between screens as a tool for education and a source of entertainment can become blurred, making it harder to enforce clear limits. The key is to work collaboratively with them to separate school-related screen time from recreational use, guiding them towards the self-management skills they will need for life. 

Distinguish Between Academic and Recreational Use 

Begin with an open, non-accusatory conversation about how they use their devices on a typical day. Together, try to identify the hours genuinely required for homework, research, and school projects. This helps you to agree on a baseline for academic use, ensuring that necessary limits do not interfere with their educational responsibilities. It is also a good time to clarify that schoolwork time should be for focused, task-related activity, not for Browse social media or chatting with friends. 

Set Clear Limits for Recreational Time 

Once you have a clear understanding of their academic needs, you can then agree on separate limits for recreational screen time. This should be a limit that is appropriate for their age and allows for a healthy balance of other activities. Explain that this balance is designed to protect their wellbeing by making sure there is still time for family connection, physical activity, hobbies, and worship. For example, you might agree that recreational use begins only after homework is completed and verified. 

Encourage Healthy Digital Habits 

Part of managing screen time is teaching healthy usage habits. Encourage them to take short, regular breaks during long periods of school-related screen work to protect their eye health and posture. You can also suggest that they complete some tasks offline, such as drafting an essay on paper before typing it up. These small habits remind your child that not all productivity has to happen on a screen and helps to prevent digital burnout. 

Model the Balance You Expect 

As always, your own habits are a powerful teacher. When your older children see you putting your own devices away to be present, prioritising conversation over passive scrolling, and engaging in non-screen hobbies, it reinforces the message that screen balance is a mature and respected family value, not just another rule for them to follow. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam teaches that our tools and resources should always serve that which benefits us in this life and the Hereafter, and that balance (mizan) is essential in all matters of our lives. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Israa (17), Verse 36: 

‘And do not pursue (to meddle in matters) with which you have no knowledge; indeed, your hearing (everything you heard), your sight (everything you observed), your conscience (everything you thought), in fact, all of these (your faculties) shall be called for questioning (on the Day of Judgement)…’ 

This verse is a powerful reminder that every faculty we possess, including our sight and hearing, is a trust from Allah. We will be held accountable for how we engage them. Using devices wisely for beneficial purposes is a part of honouring that trust. 

It is recorded in Riyad As Salihin, Hadith 170, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Part of the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him.’ 

This profound hadith teaches the importance of focusing our time and energy on what is truly beneficial, and avoiding that which is a mere distraction. For an older child, this means learning to use their devices with purpose and intention, steering clear of unproductive screen use even when they are online for school. By framing this as an act of responsibility before Allah, you equip them with the discipline to benefit from technology without being consumed by it.