Drew Barrymore Admits to Extreme Screen Time Strategy for Her Kids

Drew Barrymore's technology rules for her kids may sound strict, but according to experts, she may be on to something. 

In an interview with Better Homes and Gardens published Thursday, the actress and TV host shared some house rules, including screen time limitations. 

“When it comes to my kids, I’m not a huge fan of personal electronics, like iPads,” she said. “During the pandemic, when schools were virtual, we were forced into all being on our separate devices and I didn’t like it. Now, I keep the iPads in a locked safe and they only come out for special occasions. I’d rather that the three of us all pile into my bed and watch together.” 

But Barrymore also made it clear she wasn’t criticizing parents who don’t do the same. 

“We watch a ton of movies and shows so I’m not judging anyone about screens,” she said.

Parents worry about kids’ technology use

Barrymore joins other stars and notable names including Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, David Beckham, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates who have spoken publicly about limiting the time their children spend looking at screens. 

“They don't get to use their iPads during the week or play video games or anything because it's school time,” Lopez told E! News in 2015. “And they have to be good in school and then they get ‘Sunday funday.’ It's something I made up so they could work towards it and behave. ” 

Many non-famous parents increasingly concur: In a 2022 Pew Research Center report, half of parents of children under 11 said their kids spend too much time playing video games in 2021 (compared to a third in 2020), and 42% said they spend too much time on smartphones in 2021 (compared to 28% in 2020). 

Should you and your kids follow Barrymore’s screen restrictions? Here’s what experts recommend. 

How much screen time is safe for kids? 

The World Health Organization recommends no more than an hour a day of screen time for children ages 2 to 5, and no screen time at all for those under a year old. Beyond 5, most major health organizations shy away from issuing strict guidelines for child technology use, but for good reason. 

“The term ‘screen time’ may be pretty meaningless at this point,” Devorah Heitner, Ph.D., author of “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World,” told The Messenger. “We really need to look at how our kids are using tech. Is it connecting them with friends or family members? Is it connecting them with interesting, challenging, age-appropriate content? Is it a space for them to be creative? Or is it a space that’s pulling them away from more positive pursuits, like sleep, family meal-time?”

Heitner advocates analyzing whether a kid’s use of tech is supporting or interfering with their life.

Screen time limits should be decided on a child-by-child basis, with an emphasis on ensuring that technology use helps them grow in a positive way, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.

While child development experts have noted that research involving children and technology use is rapidly evolving, many make it clear that it’s not necessarily that using phones, tablets and computers is bad for kids — they just need to be given guidelines to ensure safe and positive development. 

Dr. Heitner recommends parents watch TV shows or internet videos with their children, as Barrymore said she does. Not only can it help them bond and connect, but it can help them discuss difficult but important topics that may not otherwise have come up. 

“For me, watching ‘Friday Night Lights’ with my son, [helped me] talk about things like substance abuse and teens having sex and the complexities of relationships,” Dr. Heitner says. “It’s not like you can just drop that bomb on your 12- or 14-year-old, but if you’re watching the show, you can talk about what the characters do.” 

The American Psychological Association notes that social media use can be particularly helpful in building community, especially amid the pandemic and for children who are part of marginalized groups, and/or who are struggling with mental health issues. 

But marginalized groups are also vulnerable to online discrimination and hate, which research has shown can exacerbate young people’s mental health issues. Dr. Heitner recommends talking to your children about these issues together before they “stumble on it” themselves online. 

Bad stuff exists online — that doesn’t mean kids should be forever shielded from the entire world wide web. It just means families need to have conversations about media literacy, healthy habits and building a fulfilling life outside of technology. 

“It’s like bike riding with your kids,” Dr. Heitner says. “You’d be like, ‘Oh, I see you’re not using signals’ when they turn in the road. It’s not, ‘Let’s stop biking,’ it’s ‘Let me teach you how to do this better.’”