Tablets: the tool that parents love and hate. Need a quick shower? Grab the tablet of choice with a learning game or audio book cued up. On a video call with no backup care or going on a long car ride? Streaming a movie on a tablet or two saves us all from kid drama when we all know there’s no time for that.
But tablets aren’t all Bluey episodes and audio books. According to the Mayo Clinic, excessive screen time and regular consumption of “poor quality programming” directly correlates to obesity, inadequate and insufficient sleep, delays in language and social skill development, attention problems, and it indicates that it takes away from time actually learning. Unstructured screen-free playtime is critical for brain development. One mom of three on TikTok evidently is aware of all this and has set what some think are quite strict screen time rules for her three boys.
More from CafeMom: I’m a Screen Time Expert & Mom: This is How I Manage My Own Kids’ Usage
Kayla shares lots of her parenting insights on TikTok.
TikTok content creator and mom Kayla Masse posts relatable content from her littles, from dropping $30 on clandestine episodes of Peppa Pig (practically a parenting rite of passage if you are a Prime subscriber) to the experience of her son moving up to preschool. She has caught a lot of pushback, however, regarding the screen time limits she’s set for her boys.
'If it shuts off, it shuts off.'
Kayla’s boys are 5 years old, 3 years old, and a toddler. These are all critical times of development and habit building for kids. Having limits as to where, when, and how long they use screens is imperative. Every family is different, but Kayla’s choices seem to have left some parents feeling inadvertently called out and perhaps even triggered.
“Rules my husband and I have as far as tablets go,” Kayla shares in one video. “Tablets are not allowed to be used with food — not at home, not in restaurants,” she says. She also mentions that the time limit she set for her kids is an hour and a half daily. “If it shuts off, it shuts off. Too bad,” she continues.
However, Kayla explains that long car trips may require an exception to the time limit. “Sometimes we extend the time if we’re in the car for longer,” she notes. “Once we get to our destination, tablets go off and they stay in the car.”
The Masse family has priorities.
The mom shares that her boys are not allowed to use their tablets when guests come to visit. “If we have company over, tablets are not to be taken out. We’re not using them,” she explains. “We prioritize family time and socialization, so tablets are not allowed.”
But it’s not just where and when that is restricted. The content her kids engage with is also carefully monitored. “They are not allowed to roam YouTube and we do have age restrictions on what they can and cannot use,” she says.
More from CafeMom: 15 Ways Everyone Can Decrease Their Screen Time
Commenters are conflicted.
Commenters on the post are torn about the screen time limits. One parent admitted, “I can’t do strict rules with electronics because I’m on mine all the time.”
“1.5 hours is wild, 7:30-8pm what are they doing the other 12 hours of the day lmfao,” one person commented.
“Just remember strict parents lead to sneaky kids,” someone else wrote.
For the most part, however, Kayla received a lot of support. “She’s not being strict, she’s just teaching them how to socialize instead of becoming addicted to their devices,” one comment reads, with many others echoing the same sentiment.
“Ya’ll are saying ‘but what rules do you have for your phone’ umm? None? She’s an adult. Not a child,” someone else chimed in.
