pediatrician+Padget Skogman MD Family Resource Hub

Screens · EdTech · Social Media

Helping families navigate technology, plus the guidance to feel confident about it.

Trusted guidelines, vetted learning tools, and practical safety resources for raising kids in a digital world — from toddlers to teens.

Start Here

A few grounding ideas that today's leading pediatric and child-development experts agree on — before you dive into the tools below.

Quality > quantityFocus on what and how kids use screens, not just the clock.
Co-view & talkWatching and discussing together beats rules alone.
Protect sleep & playScreens shouldn't crowd out sleep, activity, meals, or homework.
Model itKids copy adult phone habits — including tech-free moments.
A note on "how much time": The American Academy of Pediatrics has moved away from a single magic number for older kids. Instead of one universal limit, they recommend building a Family Media Plan that fits your household — with clear screen-free times and places. For the youngest children, firmer limits still apply (see the By Age guide below).

No resources match that search. Try a different word or clear the filter.

Screen Time & Healthy Habits

Set balanced routines, understand the research, and build a plan that works for your family.

AAP Family Media Plan

The American Academy of Pediatrics' free, customizable tool to set screen-free times, content rules, and device curfews for each child.

FreePlannerAll ages

Common Sense Media

Age-based reviews and ratings for movies, apps, games, and shows — plus plain-language articles on screen time for every stage.

FreeReviewsAll ages

Apple Screen Time

Built into iPhone/iPad: set app limits, schedule downtime, and see weekly activity reports for your family's devices.

FreeBuilt-in controlAll ages

Google Family Link

Free app to set screen-time limits, approve app downloads, and manage Android phones and Chromebooks for kids and teens.

FreeBuilt-in controlAll ages

AAP Center of Excellence

Evidence-based Q&A on social media and youth mental health, written by pediatricians — great for tough questions.

FreeQ&A libraryTweens–teens

Learning Tools & EdTech

Screens can teach, too. These are well-reviewed, largely free tools that support real learning across subjects.

Khan Academy Kids

Completely free early-learning app for ages 2–8 — reading, math, and social-emotional skills with no ads.

FreeAppAges 2–8

Khan Academy

Free courses and practice in math, science, and more for grade school through high school — a homework lifesaver.

FreeCoursesGrades 2–12

PBS Kids

Free, ad-free educational games and videos featuring trusted characters — a safe default for younger children.

FreeGames & videoAges 2–8

Scratch (MIT)

Free block-based coding where kids build their own games and animations — creativity plus computer science.

FreeCodingAges 8+

Code.org

Free computer-science lessons and the famous "Hour of Code" — approachable coding for all ages and abilities.

FreeCodingAges 4+

Duolingo

Free, game-like language learning that keeps kids and parents coming back — with a kids' reading app (ABC) too.

FreeLanguagesAges 3+

Nat Geo Kids

Animals, science, and geography through videos, facts, and games — feeds curiosity about the real world.

FreeExploreAges 6–12

Common Sense Education

Teacher-written reviews of thousands of learning apps and sites — the place to vet a new tool before you buy.

FreeReviewsAll ages

Social Media & Online Safety

Privacy, monitoring, cyberbullying, and platform-by-platform guides for the years when kids start going online on their own.

ConnectSafely Parent Guides

Free, readable guides to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, gaming, and more — what each app is and how to set it up safely.

FreePlatform guidesTweens–teens

NetSmartz (NCMEC)

Free videos and lessons from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on staying safe from online exploitation.

FreeSafety lessonsAll ages

Take It Down

A free service to help remove or stop the spread of nude/explicit images of someone under 18 from participating platforms.

FreeTake-down toolTeens

Internet Matters

Step-by-step parental-control setup guides for virtually every device, app, and platform — searchable and up to date.

FreeControl guidesAll ages

Meta Family Center

Set up supervision and Teen Account protections on Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook from one dashboard.

FreeBuilt-in controlTeens

Bark

A paid monitoring service that scans texts and social apps for signs of bullying, predators, or self-harm and alerts parents.

Monitoring (paid)Tweens–teens

StopBullying.gov

The U.S. government's plain guide to recognizing, responding to, and preventing cyberbullying.

FreeGuideAll ages

Common Sense Privacy

Independent privacy ratings of popular apps and edtech — see what an app collects before your child signs up.

FreePrivacy ratingsAll ages

Family Agreements & Conversation

The most effective "control" is a shared understanding. These templates and pledges help you set expectations together — and revisit them as kids grow.

Family Media Agreement

Common Sense Media's printable, age-tiered agreement — kids and parents sign shared commitments about device use.

FreePrintableAll ages

Build a Media Plan (AAP)

Generate a personalized plan covering screen-free zones, curfews, and content rules for each child in the family.

FreePlannerAll ages

Wait Until 8th

A parent pledge to hold off on smartphones until at least 8th grade — with strength in numbers from other local families.

FreePledgeTweens

Screen-Time Conversation Starters

Common Sense's articles and tips give you the words to open (and reopen) calm conversations about tech habits.

FreeTalking pointsAll ages

A Quick Guide by Age

General starting points drawn from pediatric guidance. Every child is different — treat these as a floor for conversation, not a rigid rule.

StageGeneral guidanceWhat to focus on
Under 18–24 monthsAvoid screens other than live video chat with family.Talking, reading, and play. If you introduce media at 18+ months, choose high-quality programming and watch together.
2–5 yearsAround 1 hour/day of high-quality programming on weekdays is a common benchmark.Co-view and connect it to real life. Keep meals, bedtime, and playtime screen-free.
6–12 yearsConsistent limits set by your family, not a single fixed number.Protect sleep, activity, and homework. Keep devices out of bedrooms overnight; start digital-citizenship talks.
13+ / TeensOngoing coaching over hard limits; build independence gradually.Privacy settings, sleep-protecting phone curfews, mental-health check-ins, and open conversation about what they see online.
The through-line at every age: screens shouldn't displace sleep, movement, in-person time, or unstructured play — and no rule replaces a warm, ongoing conversation about what your child is doing online.
pediatrician+Padget Skogman MD

About this hub. A curated starting point for families navigating screens, educational technology, and social media, from Pediatrician Plus. Guidance reflects widely used pediatric and child-development recommendations as of 2026; platforms and settings change often, so verify specifics on each linked site. This resource is educational and not a substitute for advice from your pediatrician or a mental-health professional.

Key sources: American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org & the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health), Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Internet Matters.