Whether you want screen-free dinner times or distraction-free homework hours, Qustodio’s routines feature will help you set the screen time rules you want throughout the day. It comes with a range of readymade presets so you can create a healthy schedule for your family with ease. Keep reading to see how to activate them.
Create a bedtime schedule
If you’re just getting started, we recommend creating a screen-free bedtime routine first. Switching off devices 30 minutes before going to bed, and keeping them off until the morning, is a great way to help your child get a good night’s sleep. To do so, go to your child’s Rules and then Routines. Select Add routine and then choose Bedtime. Check that the times and days work for you, and save! Your child will now enjoy a screen-free bedtime routine.
Set study time
When devices are taken to school, it can be easy for kids to get distracted. The readymade Study routine blocks access to all apps and websites except for educational ones during school hours. To activate it, select Add routine and choose Study. We’ve suggested 9am-5pm on school days, but you can adjust this if you need before clicking save.
Schedule focus time
It can be handy to set aside some time away from the internet to help your child focus on their evening activities, whether that’s homework, dinner time, or music practice. Just select Add routine and then choose Focus. We’ve suggested scheduling it for 5pm-9pm every week day, but adjust this as you need and click Save routine.
Allow time for entertainment
If you want to give your child some dedicated time to play games, without the risk of inappropriate content, then you can schedule an Entertainment routine. This allows them to access all of their apps, but continues blocking harmful websites. To do so, select Add routines and choose Entertainment. Adjust the times and days that it applies in the way that suits your family, and save.
Customize your schedule
When you’re just getting started with routines, the presets above will help you get set up quickly. However, if you want to customize further, you can do that too. Select Add routine and then, rather than choosing one of the presets, choose Custom at the end of the list. You can then choose from two types of custom routine: app & website rules, and device blocks. Choose app & website rules if you want to create a routine in which your child has access to their devices, but only to certain types of content. If you want to schedule screen-free time, then choose Device blocks instead. Then, you can follow the steps on screen to create your custom routine.
Switch routines
If something unexpected happens, such as your child needing to stay home from school, don’t worry – you don’t need to change your whole setup. You can temporarily switch to another routine to give them the device access they need, without affecting your normal schedule. Just go to your child’s Dashboard, select Quick actions, and choose Switch routine. Then, select the routine you want to switch to, set the duration, and confirm.
