Screen Time Attitudes Study
Understand parental concerns and attitudes around screen time, games, and apps for young children
Who: 20 participants (≈60% parents; ages 25–40) across the US/UK/DE, including bilingual and low‑bandwidth/rural households.
What they said: Screen use is pragmatic and supervised-weekdays 20–90 minutes on shared living‑room devices with rules (no screens at meals/bedtime), weekends/exceptions rise to 2–4 hours.
Core worries are autoplay/infinite scroll, ads/IAP “money traps,” data tracking/open chat, and the fallout (meltdowns, sleep disruption, shorter attention); preferred experiences are ad‑free, offline, calm, bilingual, creative/co‑play, and end cleanly without negotiation. Main insights: Parents judge quality by intent/control and the after‑effects, not raw minutes; the business model and UX patterns (autoplay, streaks, feeds) drive trust far more than content labels; adoption is shaped by device age, data limits, and language/cultural fit.
Takeaways: Ship an offline‑first, privacy‑first product with no ads/IAP and no open chat; make sessions bounded with visible timers, hard stops, and a gentle outro; favor calm pacing, short co‑viewable modules, and prompts that push kids back to real‑world activity.
Enable living‑room use (TV casting), simple parent tools (PIN‑locked settings, bedtime lock, brief session summaries), and authentic localization (Spanish, Quebec French, Haitian Creole).
Price with one‑time or transparent family plans and lead store messaging with “no autoplay/ads/IAP,” “offline,” “privacy by default,” and “clean stops.”
Florian Schulz
Florian Schulz, 37, Cologne-based married dad of one, is an operations team lead at a sustainable packaging manufacturer. Urban, health-forward, YouTube-first cook; values quality, provenance, and time-saving. Runs, adds yoga, and uses walnuts for snacks, b…
Susanne Schwarz
Susanne Schwarz, 25, married, a mum of one in urban Trier, works part-time as a quality technician in glass packaging. Health-minded and pragmatic, she budgets comfortably, favors regional quality, quick nutritious meals, YouTube how-tos, and sustainable, d…
James Huerta
James Huerta, 29, married parent of two in Charleston, WV, is a primary caregiver managing a rented household. With $150k–$199k income, values reliability, safety, and time-saving convenience; car-enthusiast, community-minded, budget-savvy, cooks and plans…
Matthew Perez
Matthew Perez, Syracuse-based married parent of one, 39, Director of Operations in professional services, bilingual Spanish/English. Household income $200k+, budget- and quality-focused. Enjoys DIY, gardening, photography, fashion, and narrative gaming; com…
Leslie Moreno
Leslie Moreno, 36, Hispanic, bilingual utilities warehouse/inventory tech near Fort Worth, TX. Married, no kids. Budget-conscious, safety- and durability-focused. Volunteers at church, cooks at home, tinkers with tech, runs occasional 5Ks, values transparen…
Ashley Garcia
1) Basic Demographics
Ashley Garcia, 32, she/her. White (Non-Hispanic). Married, no children. Lives on the rural outskirts of Miami-Dade (Redland/Homestead area) while identifying Miami as the nearest city. U.S. citizen. English only at home. Emp…
François Lavoie
François Lavoie is a 37-year-old widowed francophone man in rural Saguenay, QC, working part-time as a healthcare Data Quality Coordinator, earning under $25k, budget-conscious, resourceful, and repair-minded.
Vicente Beverly
Hardworking Haitian landscaper in rural Florida; single father to a five-year-old. Budget-conscious, faith-centered, practical, and community-oriented. Prefers durable, no-commitment solutions, bilingual clarity, and word-of-mouth trust over flashy promises.
Caitlyn Dominguez
Bilingual 27-year-old Latina mobile mechanic in rural New York. Family-centered, faith-led, frugal. Runs field repairs, invests in uptime, prefers clear warranties and local suppliers. Owns home free and clear; uses public health coverage.
Shaneque Guevara
Marisol Cabrera, 30, is a Spanish-speaking single mom of two in rural Florida. She shares rent with family, relies on cash, no internet, and community support. Practical, faithful, and thrifty, she prioritizes trust, children, and simplicity.
Christopher Kennedy
Christopher Kennedy, 31, bilingual Puerto Rican-American salon owner in rural NY. Divorced, no kids. Practical, community-first, and growth-minded. Values reliability, fair pricing, and bilingual support. Balances craft, faith, and family with steady ambition.
Maggie Rodriguez
US-born Latina data architect in rural Georgia. Divorced mom of one, LDS. Home paid off; income diversified within $200–299k. Privacy- and reliability-driven, community-minded, and pragmatic about tech, money, and family routines.
Matthew Tam
Austin-based 29-year-old senior recruiter from India, married, no kids. Hybrid worker, e-bike commuter, minimalist and health-minded. Values transparency, reliability, and time efficiency; cautious due to visa constraints; active in community and mentoring.
Joshua Maldonado
Spanish-speaking 28-year-old farmworker in rural Georgia, single dad with shared custody. Budget-focused, risk-averse, and routine-driven. Prioritizes durability, clear pricing, Spanish support, and low-friction logistics; relies on crew networks and prepai…
Elizabeth Escoto
Marisol Rivera, 30, a bilingual Reading, PA native, is family-first and budget-conscious. Paused from home health work, she’s regrouping, pursuing her GED, and values clear pricing, Spanish support, and community-centered, stress-reducing solutions.
Diego Martins
Diego, 32, is a Brazilian AV technician in Croydon. Married, no kids, tight budget. Practical, community-minded, Labour-leaning. Prefers reliable, flexible, clearly priced products and trips. Balances upskilling, church volunteering, football, and batch coo…
Emma Cartwright
Birmingham mum of two, unemployed admin professional, tight mortgage-bound budget. Pragmatic, review-driven buyer; values NHS, community, and clear pricing. Batch-cooks, shops discount grocers, seeks part-time school-hours work, and prioritises reliability…
Anna Kowalska
Bilingual 39-year-old single mum in Leeds, ex-digital marketing manager now freelancing and job-hunting. Budget-savvy, eco-minded, community-oriented, and pragmatic, she values durability, transparency, and time-saving solutions that fit family life.
Kirsty Fraser
Aberdeen-based widowed lab technician and single mum, practical and community-minded. Budget-conscious yet quality-focused, values reliability, plain language, and time-savers. Enjoys beach walks, batch-cooking, local parks, and small, steady joys with her…
Lisa Koch
Cottbus-based process technician juggling shifts, family, and a balcony garden. Practical, warm, and proof-driven, Lisa values durability, clear costs, and time-saving simplicity. Loves bikes, Baltic Sea breaks, and well-organized lists.
Florian Schulz
Florian Schulz, 37, Cologne-based married dad of one, is an operations team lead at a sustainable packaging manufacturer. Urban, health-forward, YouTube-first cook; values quality, provenance, and time-saving. Runs, adds yoga, and uses walnuts for snacks, b…
Susanne Schwarz
Susanne Schwarz, 25, married, a mum of one in urban Trier, works part-time as a quality technician in glass packaging. Health-minded and pragmatic, she budgets comfortably, favors regional quality, quick nutritious meals, YouTube how-tos, and sustainable, d…
James Huerta
James Huerta, 29, married parent of two in Charleston, WV, is a primary caregiver managing a rented household. With $150k–$199k income, values reliability, safety, and time-saving convenience; car-enthusiast, community-minded, budget-savvy, cooks and plans…
Matthew Perez
Matthew Perez, Syracuse-based married parent of one, 39, Director of Operations in professional services, bilingual Spanish/English. Household income $200k+, budget- and quality-focused. Enjoys DIY, gardening, photography, fashion, and narrative gaming; com…
Leslie Moreno
Leslie Moreno, 36, Hispanic, bilingual utilities warehouse/inventory tech near Fort Worth, TX. Married, no kids. Budget-conscious, safety- and durability-focused. Volunteers at church, cooks at home, tinkers with tech, runs occasional 5Ks, values transparen…
Ashley Garcia
1) Basic Demographics
Ashley Garcia, 32, she/her. White (Non-Hispanic). Married, no children. Lives on the rural outskirts of Miami-Dade (Redland/Homestead area) while identifying Miami as the nearest city. U.S. citizen. English only at home. Emp…
François Lavoie
François Lavoie is a 37-year-old widowed francophone man in rural Saguenay, QC, working part-time as a healthcare Data Quality Coordinator, earning under $25k, budget-conscious, resourceful, and repair-minded.
Vicente Beverly
Hardworking Haitian landscaper in rural Florida; single father to a five-year-old. Budget-conscious, faith-centered, practical, and community-oriented. Prefers durable, no-commitment solutions, bilingual clarity, and word-of-mouth trust over flashy promises.
Caitlyn Dominguez
Bilingual 27-year-old Latina mobile mechanic in rural New York. Family-centered, faith-led, frugal. Runs field repairs, invests in uptime, prefers clear warranties and local suppliers. Owns home free and clear; uses public health coverage.
Shaneque Guevara
Marisol Cabrera, 30, is a Spanish-speaking single mom of two in rural Florida. She shares rent with family, relies on cash, no internet, and community support. Practical, faithful, and thrifty, she prioritizes trust, children, and simplicity.
Christopher Kennedy
Christopher Kennedy, 31, bilingual Puerto Rican-American salon owner in rural NY. Divorced, no kids. Practical, community-first, and growth-minded. Values reliability, fair pricing, and bilingual support. Balances craft, faith, and family with steady ambition.
Maggie Rodriguez
US-born Latina data architect in rural Georgia. Divorced mom of one, LDS. Home paid off; income diversified within $200–299k. Privacy- and reliability-driven, community-minded, and pragmatic about tech, money, and family routines.
Matthew Tam
Austin-based 29-year-old senior recruiter from India, married, no kids. Hybrid worker, e-bike commuter, minimalist and health-minded. Values transparency, reliability, and time efficiency; cautious due to visa constraints; active in community and mentoring.
Joshua Maldonado
Spanish-speaking 28-year-old farmworker in rural Georgia, single dad with shared custody. Budget-focused, risk-averse, and routine-driven. Prioritizes durability, clear pricing, Spanish support, and low-friction logistics; relies on crew networks and prepai…
Elizabeth Escoto
Marisol Rivera, 30, a bilingual Reading, PA native, is family-first and budget-conscious. Paused from home health work, she’s regrouping, pursuing her GED, and values clear pricing, Spanish support, and community-centered, stress-reducing solutions.
Diego Martins
Diego, 32, is a Brazilian AV technician in Croydon. Married, no kids, tight budget. Practical, community-minded, Labour-leaning. Prefers reliable, flexible, clearly priced products and trips. Balances upskilling, church volunteering, football, and batch coo…
Emma Cartwright
Birmingham mum of two, unemployed admin professional, tight mortgage-bound budget. Pragmatic, review-driven buyer; values NHS, community, and clear pricing. Batch-cooks, shops discount grocers, seeks part-time school-hours work, and prioritises reliability…
Anna Kowalska
Bilingual 39-year-old single mum in Leeds, ex-digital marketing manager now freelancing and job-hunting. Budget-savvy, eco-minded, community-oriented, and pragmatic, she values durability, transparency, and time-saving solutions that fit family life.
Kirsty Fraser
Aberdeen-based widowed lab technician and single mum, practical and community-minded. Budget-conscious yet quality-focused, values reliability, plain language, and time-savers. Enjoys beach walks, batch-cooking, local parks, and small, steady joys with her…
Lisa Koch
Cottbus-based process technician juggling shifts, family, and a balcony garden. Practical, warm, and proof-driven, Lisa values durability, clear costs, and time-saving simplicity. Loves bikes, Baltic Sea breaks, and well-organized lists.
Sex / Gender
Race / Ethnicity
Locale (Top)
Occupations (Top)
| Age bucket | Male count | Female count |
|---|
| Income bucket | Participants | US households |
|---|
Summary
Themes
| Theme | Count | Example Participant | Example Quote |
|---|
Outliers
| Agent | Snippet | Reason |
|---|
Overview
Key Segments
| Segment | Attributes | Insight | Supporting Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish-speaking / Hispanic & Creole households |
|
Adoption depends on authentic language delivery, family-oriented experiences (video calls, co-play prompts) and low-data modes. Monetisation that creates 'nagging' (shops, microtransactions) or exposes kids to strangers is uniquely harmful to family cohesion and intergenerational rituals. | Leslie Moreno, Christopher Kennedy, Joshua Maldonado, James Huerta, Elizabeth Escoto, Caitlyn Dominguez, Maggie Rodriguez, Matthew Perez, Vicente Beverly |
| Low-bandwidth / lower-income & rural households |
|
These caregivers will only use apps that support offline packs, tiny downloads and predictable pricing. UX that assumes constant streaming, cloud sync or heavy updates will be rejected regardless of content quality. | Joshua Maldonado, Vicente Beverly, François Lavoie, Diego Martins, Ashley Garcia, Shaneque Guevara, Leslie Moreno |
| Tech-savvy / higher-income urban parents |
|
These caregivers demand transparent business models and anti-algorithmic design: handpicked packs, offline-first options, exportable creations and explicit privacy defaults. They act as early-adopters for feature-rich, curated products but reject shady data practices. | Matthew Tam, Anna Kowalska, Maggie Rodriguez, Matthew Perez |
| German caregivers (DE) |
|
High baseline trust in public-broadcaster or audio-first solutions; uncompromising demand for ad-free experiences, PIN-guarded parental controls, offline capability and clear, short timeboxes. | Susanne Schwarz, Florian Schulz, Lisa Koch |
| UK parents (England/Scotland) |
|
UK respondents favor calm, co-playable, regulator-friendly experiences (BBC/CBeebies-like) that slot into evening routines and run well on low-spec devices (Fire/old Android). Clear, simple parental controls and curricular alignment increase trust. | Anna Kowalska, Kirsty Fraser, Emma Cartwright, Diego Martins |
| Stay-at-home / primary caregivers |
|
Screens are used as pragmatic, short-bound tools to enable chores or breaks but must include visible timers, sibling/turn-taking modes and features that prompt calm transitions back to offline activity. | James Huerta, Emma Cartwright, Shaneque Guevara, Joshua Maldonado, Kirsty Fraser |
| Field / maintenance / device-limited occupations |
|
These caregivers prioritize minimal installs, low battery use and offline packs; simplicity and Spanish/bilingual labeling matter. Flashy UIs or cloud-dependent workflows are friction points. | Ashley Garcia, Diego Martins, Caitlyn Dominguez |
| Faith-centered or religious households (niche) |
|
A smaller but meaningful subset will adopt apps that include brief, culturally congruent faith content (e.g., short Bible lessons, Creole hymns) so long as privacy and one-time pricing constraints are respected. | Vicente Beverly |
Shared Mindsets
| Trait | Signal | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Autoplay and algorithmic feeds are top UX harms | Caregivers across contexts single out autoplay/infinite feeds as the primary cause of lost control, prolonged sessions and post-screen behavioral disruptions; removing autoplay is a high-leverage safety control. | Leslie Moreno, Susanne Schwarz, Florian Schulz, Christopher Kennedy, Matthew Tam, Diego Martins, Matthew Perez |
| Offline-first, tiny-install expectation | Especially among lower-income, rural and device-limited households, the ability to download content over Wi‑Fi, run offline and avoid streaming is a prerequisite for real adoption. | Joshua Maldonado, Vicente Beverly, François Lavoie, Ashley Garcia, Maggie Rodriguez |
| No ads / no exploitative IAPs | Near-universal rejection of ads, loot boxes, dark-pattern upsells and hidden paywalls; caregivers prefer transparent pricing (one-time fee, library access, family license). | Christopher Kennedy, Vicente Beverly, Diego Martins, Kirsty Fraser, Lisa Koch, Shaneque Guevara |
| Visible timers and hard stops are non-negotiable | Parents want simple, obvious session caps, bedtime locks and PIN-protected settings that generate reliable, predictable endings rather than soft nudges. | Florian Schulz, Lisa Koch, Emma Cartwright, Christopher Kennedy, Kirsty Fraser, James Huerta |
| Preference for shared-device / living-room sessions | Families prefer communal viewing (TV casting, tablet in living room) to maintain supervision and preserve daily rituals; solo, hidden phone sessions raise more concern. | Susanne Schwarz, James Huerta, Anna Kowalska, Emma Cartwright, Elizabeth Escoto, Kirsty Fraser |
| Products should nudge return to offline play | Caregivers value features that convert screen minutes into hands-on outcomes (crafts, movement, chores, printable outputs) - making screen time feel earned and bounded. | Maggie Rodriguez, Anna Kowalska, Ashley Garcia, Florian Schulz, James Huerta, Matthew Perez |
| Language and cultural authenticity drives trust | Proper, full-language audio (not token words), local cultural references and family-oriented content increase uptake among bilingual and regional-language households. | Elizabeth Escoto, Leslie Moreno, Christopher Kennedy, François Lavoie, Anna Kowalska, Vicente Beverly |
| Open chat or stranger-facing social features are unacceptable | Across geographies and incomes, caregivers reject open chat or unmoderated social interactions for young children; any social features must be closed, whitelisted or parent-mediated. | Florian Schulz, Leslie Moreno, François Lavoie, Diego Martins, Christopher Kennedy |
Divergences
| Segment | Contrast | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| High-income / tech-savvy vs Low-bandwidth / lower-income | Tech-savvy caregivers are open to richer cloud features (export, curated packs) if privacy is guaranteed; lower-income and device-limited households prioritize offline-first, tiny installs and minimal updates even if it limits cloud functionality. | Matthew Tam, Maggie Rodriguez, Joshua Maldonado, Vicente Beverly, Ashley Garcia |
| Public-broadcaster-trusting (Germany/UK) vs US Hispanic family-first | German/UK respondents show institutional trust in public-broadcaster style content and structured capsules; Hispanic households prioritize family-language, TV-cast and intergenerational features over institutional curation. | Susanne Schwarz, Florian Schulz, Lisa Koch, Leslie Moreno, Elizabeth Escoto, Christopher Kennedy |
| Faith-centered households (niche) vs mainstream secular caregivers | A minority requests faith-forward short lessons and songs as adoption boosters; mainstream caregivers prefer secular, culturally respectful content - indicating an optional vertical rather than baseline requirement. | Vicente Beverly, Leslie Moreno |
| Stay-at-home caregivers vs Field/device-limited workers | Stay-at-home parents emphasize transition tooling (sibling modes, co-play prompts, visible timers) to manage home routines; field workers emphasize minimal installs, battery conservation and simple UIs because their devices and time constraints differ. | James Huerta, Emma Cartwright, Shaneque Guevara, Ashley Garcia, Diego Martins, Caitlyn Dominguez |
Overview
- Bounded sessions with visible timers, bedtime lock, and a gentle outro
- Offline packs, tiny installs, low battery/data, TV-casting for living-room use
- Privacy-by-default: no tracking, no unnecessary permissions, local profiles
- Calm design: slower pacing, soft audio, no streaks/loot/feeds
- Bilingual/localization: Spanish, Quebec French, Haitian Creole
- Creation + real-world handoff: short prompts that end and push kids to do something off-screen
Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)
| # | Action | Why | Owner | Effort | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Default to hard-stop sessions (no autoplay) with a gentle outro | Top harm is autoplay/infinite scroll; clean stops reduce meltdowns and boost trust | Product + Design + Engineering | Med | High |
| 2 | Publish plain‑language privacy policy and remove unnecessary permissions | Parents reject data grabs; clear, minimal permissions are a key trust driver | Legal/Privacy + Engineering | Low | High |
| 3 | Ship offline packs and low‑data mode | Low-bandwidth families require offline-first; increases adoption and retention | Engineering | Med | High |
| 4 | Add Spanish toggle and TV casting (living‑room first) | Bilingual households and shared-device norms drive acceptance | Engineering + Design | Med | Med |
| 5 | Revise store copy to highlight no ads/IAP, no chat, offline, and one-time/family pricing | Clear trust signals and pricing transparency improve conversion | Marketing | Low | High |
| 6 | Parent controls v1: timer, bedtime lock, and PIN-protected settings | Predictable boundaries are the #1 feature ask | Design + Engineering | Med | High |
Initiatives (30–90 days)
| # | Initiative | Description | Owner | Timeline | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVP: Calm Kits (Make • Read • Move) with off-screen prompts | Deliver short, calm modules (10–20 min) that end cleanly and hand off to real-world tasks; include printable/TV-cast prompts and on-device-only galleries. | Product + Design + Content + Engineering | 0–8 weeks | Research insights & content curation, Bounded session framework, Offline asset pipeline |
| 2 | Privacy-by-Design & Compliance (COPPA/GDPR‑K) | Data inventory, local-only profiles, telemetry-off by default, DPIA, and kid-friendly privacy copy; permission gates for camera/mic when strictly needed. | Legal/Privacy + Security + Engineering | 0–6 weeks (foundations), ongoing audits quarterly | Legal review, Engineering telemetry controls, Support content updates |
| 3 | Offline-first architecture and low-end device optimization | Tiny installs, delta updates, asset compression, background downloads on Wi‑Fi; QA matrix for older Android/iPad; battery/network budgets. | Engineering + QA | 0–10 weeks | Content packaging, CDN/offline manifest pipeline, Device lab or emulator farm |
| 4 | Localization packs (ES, FR‑CA, HT) with fast toggle | Authentic audio and UI for Spanish, Quebec French, and Haitian Creole; bilingual captions; community reviewers for cultural fit. | Localization + Content + Community | 4–12 weeks (phased by language) | String/VO pipeline, Community review panel, QA per locale |
| 5 | Parental suite + living-room features | Timers, bedtime mode, sibling/turn-taking, TV casting, airplane-mode hints; parent dashboard with simple session summaries. | Design + Engineering | 4–12 weeks | Bounded sessions framework, Casting integration, Analytics (local) for session summaries |
| 6 | GTM pilots: pricing and distribution | Test one-time vs family annual license; library/school licensing pilots; parent council feedback loop; plain-English refund path. | Marketing + BizDev + Product | 8–16 weeks | Legal/Store policy review, Pilot partners (libraries/schools), Billing and refunds setup |
KPIs to Track
| # | KPI | Definition | Target | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hard‑stop completion rate | Percent of sessions that end via timer/outro without extension or immediate restart | > 80% within 60 days of MVP | Weekly |
| 2 | Post‑session calm proxy | Percent of sessions with no app reopen within 15 minutes (signals smooth transition) | > 70% | Weekly |
| 3 | Offline utilization | Percent of sessions completed fully offline or on airplane mode | > 60% | Weekly |
| 4 | Store trust & satisfaction | Average rating (iOS/Android) and parent NPS from in-app survey | ≥ 4.6 stars, NPS ≥ 40 | Monthly |
| 5 | Reliability on low‑end devices | Crash‑free sessions and p95 launch time on target low-end profiles | Crash‑free ≥ 99.5%; p95 launch < 2s | Weekly |
| 6 | Privacy trust signals | Support tickets about privacy per 1k MAU and % sessions without extra permissions | < 1 ticket/1k MAU; > 95% sessions without camera/mic/location | Monthly |
Risks & Mitigations
| # | Risk | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revenue sufficiency without ads/IAP | Price testing (one-time vs family annual), library/school licensing, seasonal content packs at no extra charge to reduce churn | Product + Finance |
| 2 | App store policy friction on pricing/refunds | Align with store rules (family license SKUs), clear in-app restore/refund flow, consider web direct for Android where allowed | Product + Legal |
| 3 | Localization/cultural missteps (ES, FR‑CA, HT) | Community reviewers, pilot with target families, voice-over quality checks, rapid fix SLA | Localization + Community |
| 4 | Hard stops trigger meltdowns if poorly tuned | Gentle countdown, parent-adjustable durations, end-of-session co-play prompts, bedtime mode defaults | Design + User Research |
| 5 | Performance issues on older devices | Strict asset budgets, offline caching, QA on low-end matrix, progressive media quality | Engineering + QA |
| 6 | Privacy non-compliance (COPPA/GDPR‑K) | DPIA, minimal data posture, third-party SDK review/removal, recurring audits and kid-friendly privacy UX | Legal/Privacy + Security |
Timeline
2–6 weeks: MVP scope lock, offline pack pipeline, low‑end perf baseline, parent controls v1.
6–10 weeks: MVP build for Make/Read/Move, TV casting, Spanish toggle; privacy compliance pass and QA.
10–12 weeks: Soft launch with parent council; fix list; ES production QA.
12–16 weeks: FR‑CA/HT localization, library/school pilots, pricing A/B, expand device matrix.
16–24 weeks: Scale content packs, add sibling/turn-taking, refine dashboards, expand partnerships.
Objective and context
Claude commissioned the Screen Time Attitudes Study to understand parental concerns and attitudes around screen time, games, and apps for young children. Across respondents in multiple countries and household types, a consistent brief emerges: families accept screens pragmatically, yet insist child experiences be bounded, privacy-respecting, calm, and designed to return kids to real-world activity. Typical weekday use is modest and predictable (about 20–90 minutes), with weekend/exception spikes to 2–2.5 hours and peaks of 3–4 hours during weather, travel, or illness (Anna Kowalska; Matthew Perez). Use is deliberately public and supervised (living-room TV, “no screens at table,” no screens near bedtime).
What we learned (cross-question evidence)
- Top harms = autoplay, ads/IAP, and data grabs. Caregivers cite “autoplay rabbit holes” and “weird junk” (Leslie Moreno), money traps (loot boxes, in‑app buys) (François Lavoie), and profiling/stranger risks (Anna Kowalska) as primary threats. These drive meltdowns and power struggles at turn‑off (Joshua Maldonado) and sleep disruption (Susanne Schwarz).
- Good parenting feels intentional, bounded, and social. Parents feel successful when sessions are short, planned, co‑viewable, and end cleanly; guilt spikes when screens become a babysitting crutch or when algorithms/shops sneak in (Ashley Garcia; Florian Schulz).
- Preferred content is calm, offline-capable, and creation/real‑world oriented. Families favor ad‑free, one‑time pricing or transparent plans, offline downloads, clear stopping points, and safe sandboxes without open chat (Christopher Kennedy; James Huerta). Audio‑first or low‑tech options (Toniebox; antenna‑only TV) indicate value in minimal, non‑feed experiences (Florian Schulz; Shaneque Guevara).
- Adoption blockers are predictable. Hidden trials/auto‑renewals, heavy permissions/third‑party SDKs, autoplay/streaks, large installs/updates, and poor offline or low‑end performance stop downloads (François Lavoie; Matthew Tam; Florian Schulz).
Persona correlations and nuances
- Spanish/Creole bilingual families: Authentic language, family‑oriented features, and low‑data modes drive use; shops/strangers undermine cohesion (Leslie Moreno; Caitlyn Dominguez; Vicente Beverly).
- Low‑bandwidth/older devices: Offline‑first, tiny installs, rare/small updates are non‑negotiable (Joshua Maldonado; Ashley Garcia).
- Tech‑savvy urban parents: Demand privacy‑by‑default, no engagement dark patterns, creation/export, and curated packs (Matthew Tam; Anna Kowalska).
- Germany/UK: Trust structured, broadcaster‑style, ad‑free capsules with hard timeboxes (Susanne Schwarz; Lisa Koch).
Recommendations
- Design for bounded sessions. Default hard stops, visible timers, bedtime locks, gentle outros (Florian Schulz; Susanne Schwarz).
- Build offline‑first with low resource use. Downloadable packs, tiny installs, delta updates, TV casting for living‑room use.
- Adopt privacy‑by‑default. Local profiles, no tracking/ads, minimal permissions, clear kid‑friendly privacy copy (Leslie Moreno; Matthew Tam).
- Keep the UX calm; remove attention harvesters. No autoplay/feeds/streaks/loot; slow soundscape, big tiles (Ashley Garcia; Matthew Tam).
- Bridge to the real world. Short on‑screen guidance that hands off to crafts/movement/chores; co‑play prompts and local galleries (Maggie Rodriguez; Ashley Garcia).
- Localize authentically. Spanish, Quebec French, Haitian Creole options and culturally specific packs (François Lavoie; Vicente Beverly).
Risks and guardrails
- Revenue without ads/IAP: Use one‑time or family licensing plus library/school deals; transparent refunds.
- Hard stops causing friction: Gentle countdowns, adjustable durations, end‑of‑session off‑screen prompts.
- Localization missteps: Community reviewers and VO quality checks in ES/FR‑CA/HT.
- Low‑end device performance: Strict asset budgets, offline caching, QA on older Android/iPad.
Next steps and measurement
- 2 weeks: Turn autoplay off by default; ship timers/outro prototype; publish plain‑language privacy policy; update store copy to “no ads/IAP,” “no chat,” “offline,” and clear pricing.
- 2–8 weeks: Build offline “Calm Kits” (Make/Read/Move) with printable and TV‑cast prompts; optimize low‑end performance; add Spanish toggle and casting.
- 8–16 weeks: Launch parental suite (bedtime, sibling/turn‑taking); add FR‑CA/HT localization; pilot with parent council and libraries/schools.
- KPIs: Hard‑stop completion rate > 80%; post‑session calm proxy (no reopen within 15 min) > 70%; offline utilization > 60%; store rating ≥ 4.6 and parent NPS ≥ 40; crash‑free ≥ 99.5% with p95 launch < 2s.
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For a high-quality children's app, which payment model do you prefer?single select Identifies the packaging model parents will actually choose, guiding pricing structure (one-time vs subscription vs family/school license).
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What is the maximum one-time purchase price (in your local currency) you would feel comfortable paying for a high-quality, ad-free children's app?numeric Sets a realistic price ceiling for a single-purchase SKU without guesswork.
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Thinking of the child in your household who uses screens most, what is the ideal single-session length (in minutes) for: Weekdays; Weekends/holidays?matrix Informs default timers, content chunk size, and session outro pacing.
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Which parental control features are most and least important to you? (MaxDiff among: visible countdown timer; hard stop at set time; bedtime/curfew lock; PIN to exit/settings; age-based content filter; remote end-session from parent device; simple usage summary; separate child profiles)maxdiff Prioritizes the control features to build first and which can be deferred.
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Rank the following goals for your child's screen time from most to least important: early literacy; numeracy; second-language learning; creativity/making; self-regulation/executive function; social-emotional skills; STEM exploration; prompts to real-world/physical activity.rank Directs curriculum/content roadmap and value messaging to match top outcomes.
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How often does your child use screens in each situation: during meal prep/cooking; on car trips; in waiting rooms/queues; before bedtime; early morning; as a reward; during mood regulation/tantrums; co-play with a parent; with siblings/friends; when ill?frequency Maps real-world use cases to inform mode design (offline, transitions) and session entry/exit cues.
Who: 20 participants (≈60% parents; ages 25–40) across the US/UK/DE, including bilingual and low‑bandwidth/rural households.
What they said: Screen use is pragmatic and supervised-weekdays 20–90 minutes on shared living‑room devices with rules (no screens at meals/bedtime), weekends/exceptions rise to 2–4 hours.
Core worries are autoplay/infinite scroll, ads/IAP “money traps,” data tracking/open chat, and the fallout (meltdowns, sleep disruption, shorter attention); preferred experiences are ad‑free, offline, calm, bilingual, creative/co‑play, and end cleanly without negotiation. Main insights: Parents judge quality by intent/control and the after‑effects, not raw minutes; the business model and UX patterns (autoplay, streaks, feeds) drive trust far more than content labels; adoption is shaped by device age, data limits, and language/cultural fit.
Takeaways: Ship an offline‑first, privacy‑first product with no ads/IAP and no open chat; make sessions bounded with visible timers, hard stops, and a gentle outro; favor calm pacing, short co‑viewable modules, and prompts that push kids back to real‑world activity.
Enable living‑room use (TV casting), simple parent tools (PIN‑locked settings, bedtime lock, brief session summaries), and authentic localization (Spanish, Quebec French, Haitian Creole).
Price with one‑time or transparent family plans and lead store messaging with “no autoplay/ads/IAP,” “offline,” “privacy by default,” and “clean stops.”
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