7 years after RTL Nieuws: screen time is more relevant than ever

Seven years ago, Mytimingcards was featured on Dutch TV news RTL Nieuws. The item was about Lisette’s son, who played Fortnite for almost four hours a day, and about the trick she came up with: making agreements together with time cards and a timer.

The video got hundreds of comments. And to be fair, they are at least as entertaining as the item itself.

What the viewers thought

Most of the comments come from gamers themselves. And they did not hold back:

• “7 hours a week, including the weekend? That’s almost pitiful.”
• “4 hours is nothing.”
• “If you only get 15 minutes, you can’t even finish a match.”

By the way, the most popular comment, with more than 2,000 likes, was not about screen time at all. At the start, the boy opens a chest in the game and hopes for a weapon. Hundreds of viewers were certain: “There is always a weapon in a chest!” They are probably right about that. 😉

Sound familiar? This is exactly the discussion many families have every day. The child thinks it is too little, the parent thinks it is too much. And before you know it, there is another argument.

To be fair, they have a point too

Between the jokes there are some pretty good arguments. And Mytimingcards have an answer to them.

“15 minutes is too short for a match.”
True! That is why there are cards of 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Your child chooses which cards to hand in. Want to play a long match? Then hand in two cards and save up for the rest of the week.

“Parents watch hours of TV themselves.”
Also true. Screen time is about the whole family. Make agreements about it together, including about your own phone. And watching a film together on the sofa? Agree on whether that counts. That is up to you.

“First do what you have to, then you can do what you want.”
Great rule! Put it in the Mytimingcards contract. Then it is no longer a discussion, but an agreement.

“Not every child wants to cooperate.”
That is exactly why you sign the contract together. Your child has a say, helps choose and holds the cards themselves. That works much better than a parent shouting “no”.

Why it is even more relevant now

In 2019 it was mostly about the PlayStation. Now almost every child has a phone or tablet. Videos of a few seconds go on endlessly, and games are always within reach.

In the Netherlands, phones have largely been banned from classrooms since 2024, and many other countries have similar rules. At home, that choice is yours. And clear agreements still help the most there.

By the way, one of the viewers wrote that as a teenager he sometimes gamed 8 to 10 hours a day. Now he works full time, has other hobbies and plays much less. Balance often comes naturally when there is room for other fun things. With Mytimingcards you make that room now.

Can’t you just use Google Family Link?

These days you can also manage screen time with an app. Google Family Link is a well-known example. As a parent, you use your own phone to set how long your child may use their phone or tablet. Time’s up? Then the device locks.

Handy, but it works very differently from Mytimingcards. With Family Link, you as the parent hold all the strings. With Mytimingcards, you make the agreements together, and your child is in charge.

The advantages of Google Family Link

• Free and quick to set up.
• Automatic: the app keeps track of the time, you don’t have to check anything.
• You can set a bedtime and give each app a limit.
• You can see which apps your child uses and for how long.
• You can approve new apps first.

The disadvantages of Google Family Link

• The parent decides everything. Your child cannot choose when to use their screen time.
• Your child doesn’t learn to manage time themselves. The screen simply locks. Your child doesn’t become aware of how much time they actually use.
• It only works on Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks. PlayStation, Switch, television and iPad are not covered.
• Little conversation. A lock on the phone quickly feels like a punishment, and that leads to arguments all over again.
• Clever children sometimes find a way around the app.

This is how it works with Mytimingcards

• Agree together: you read and sign the Mytimingcards contract together.
• Your child is in charge: they choose when to hand in a card and how to divide their time.
• Time becomes visible: your child sees the pile of cards getting smaller and learns to plan and think ahead.
• For every screen: phone, tablet, laptop, games console or TV.
• Fewer battles: it is not mum’s or dad’s rule, but an agreement you made together.

Mytimingcards and Google Family Link compared

What	Mytimingcards	Google Family Link
Who decides?	Parent and child together	The parent
Who is in charge?	The child, within the agreements	The parent, via the app
Does your child learn to manage time?	Yes, they see the cards running out and plan themselves	Hardly, the screen simply locks
For which screens?	All screens	Android, tablets and Chromebooks
Recording agreements	A contract signed together	Settings in the app
Cost	A one-off set	Free

The best of both worlds

You don’t have to choose. Use Mytimingcards for the agreements and the conversation, and Family Link as a safety net on the phone. That way your child learns to manage screen time themselves, and you still have a backstop.

Do you want your child to be in charge of their own screen time later on? That starts with learning to choose for themselves. And that is what Mytimingcards are made for.

And what about Roblox?

In 2019, Fortnite was the big game. Now lots of children play Roblox, often already at primary school. Roblox is not really one game, but a huge collection of games made by players themselves. From an obstacle course (an “obby”) to running your own restaurant or looking after pets.

Why stopping Roblox is so hard

• There is no end. After one game, the next one is already waiting.
• Friends play along. Stopping feels like letting your friends down.
• A reward every day. Many games in Roblox reward you for coming back every day or playing longer.
• Robux. With real money you buy Robux for clothes and extras in the game. It is wise to make agreements about that together too.

Managing Roblox screen time with Mytimingcards

Roblox has its own parental controls too. If you link your own account to your child’s, you can set a daily screen time limit, restrict purchases and decide who your child may chat with, among other things. Be sure to turn those settings on, especially for chat and purchases.

But just like with Family Link: the app decides, not your child. With Mytimingcards, your child learns to choose for themselves. This is how to do it with Roblox:

• Agree together how much Roblox time there is per week, and put it in the contract.
• Save up for playing together: a match with friends at seven o’clock? Then your child keeps a card aside for it.
• An agreement about the timer: when the timer goes off, the current match may be finished, but no new one starts.
• Agreements about Robux: for example a fixed amount of pocket money per month.
• Play along sometimes. Then you know what your child is talking about, and it is fun time together straight away.

More tips? Also read Roblox and screen time: 9 tips for parents.

This is how it works (still)

• Together you agree how much screen time your child gets per day or per week.
• You read and sign the Mytimingcards contract together.
• Your child gets time cards. For every screen, they hand in a card and start the timer.
• Timer goes off? Then the screen goes off. When they are gone, they are gone!
• You can use the bonus cards to reward or encourage.

A set consists of 24 time cards, 4 bonus cards, 1 instruction card, a timer and the Mytimingcards contract. Read more on the How does it work? page.

Seven years later, the idea is just as simple: fewer battles, more clarity and more time for other fun things. And yes, the occasional round of Fortnite or Roblox is simply part of that.