[marktangotango]

I actually get a lot of mileage out of screen time for parenting. The system I've used (I say I because if it were up to my spouse, we'd have no system) is x minutes after meals, where x has increased as they've gotten older. This started as a way to get them to eat moderately healthy at regular intervals. So the weekly schedule is 3x minutes on weekend days, and 2x minutes on week days. The effect I'm going for is "put in the work, then enjoy the reward" as a general approach to life. Using screen time in this way let's me do it in a calm, non confrontational way.

This has a lot of consequences. Like they willingly get out of bed, get dressed, and eat breakfast so they can have screen time before school. After school it's finish homework, bathe, etc. In our house screen time is basically a given unless they do something to lose it. Sometimes when they argue constantly I'll say "No screen time, you can earn it back when I've heard you each say 5 nice things to the other" or something to that effect.

Our kids are accustomed to this, I've been super consistent since they were little. I do sometimes wonder if there are unforseen side effects that may be detrimental. Otherwise they seem to have done really well. Edit to add; ours don't have phones yet, I'll probably be leaning on iOS parental controls.

[seanmcdirmid]

I tried to be like this, but consistency went out the door during COVID and daycare shutdown days when both of us also had to work.

The only detrimental effect I can think of is your kids not being accustomed to regulating their own behavior as they grow older (like say, turning 18 and going off to college if you don’t loosen the control before hand). But that is a normal parenting problem.