Educational screen time: what counts and what doesn't

How to tell which screen time is educational, why the label is not enough, and a short checklist for choosing apps, games and videos.

Last updated 1 October 2026 · 2 min read

Many apps and videos are labelled "educational", but the label tells you little. What matters is what the child does, and what they walk away with.

What counts

Screen time is more likely to be valuable when your child is:

Making something: a story, drawing, game, video or project
Learning actively: answering questions, solving problems, practising
Connecting: video-calling a grandparent or friend
Exploring something they are curious about, with a grown-up to talk about it

What usually doesn't count

Passive video one after another
Games built around pressure to keep playing
Apps with ads, constant rewards and in-app purchases
Anything labelled educational that is really just a game with a few questions attached

A quick checklist

Ask:

Does my child think, create or practise?
Does it end naturally, or is it endless?
Are there ads or purchases pushing them?
Is it age-appropriate?
Do they talk about what they learned?

If the answer to most is yes, it is probably worth the time.

It's still screen time

Even good content crowds out sleep, play and movement if there is too much. Set a limit for all screen time, and count time on educational apps within it, perhaps with a little extra allowance. See screen time by age.

Co-viewing helps

Watching or playing together turns time into learning: ask questions, make connections to real life, talk about what is real and what is not.

A good example

A short lesson that explains how AI learns and ends with a quiz is more valuable than an hour of random videos. That is the idea behind Bip: five-minute lessons that earn coins for game time.

For games worth trying see best educational games for kids.