The No. 1 Reason Parents Hand Kids a Screen? It's Not What You Think
LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lingokids, the No. 1 online entertainment platform for young children, surveyed 2,000 U.S. parents with kids ages 2-8 to find the primary reasons they allow screentime. Common responses included car trips and using screentime as a reward, but the most frequent answer given was the simple explanation that it's part of the daily routine — 58.2% of parents indicated this is the case for their family.
The finding comes from the newly released Kids Interactive Entertainment Report, a detailed look at screentime trends of kids ages 8 and under. The survey asked parents, "For which of the following reasons is your child typically allowed screentime?" and allowed them to select all that apply.
Why do parents allow screentime?
- Part of daily routine — 58.2%
- Calm down/relax — 57.5%
- Reward/treat/incentive — 51.8%
- Need to get things done — 40.4%
- Car trips (local) — 39.4%
- Bored, nothing else to do — 34.5%
- Travel (vacation) — 32.4%
- Meals — 11.1%
- Potty — 11.0%
"It's no surprise that all of the top five reasons parents allow screentime are things that occur every day in the life of a family," says Cristóbal Viedma, Founder and CEO of Lingokids. "Whether it's getting things done or helping their kids relax, screentime is a tool modern parents rely on."
When asked to provide only the No. 1 reason their child is typically allowed screentime, "part of daily routine" topped the list again with 27.8% of the votes. No other reason exceeded 20%.
"Remember, kids can be awake at this age anywhere from 11 to 15 hours," Dr. Mona Amin recently told the North Carolina News Network. "[Screentime] is part of a routine for many families, maybe on the weekends or in the evenings, and they are allowing some screen use. Parents do look at it as something their kids enjoy and that maybe they can enjoy as well, and I think the larger conversation that we'd like to remind families is that screens don't have to have a stigma. They can be a form of connection and communication if you use it in the right way."
The report from Lingokids found that over 98% of parents allow screentime and that more than 84% feel guilty about it. But they often have positive feelings about screen use as well. More than three quarters (76.4%) said screentime can also be family time and two thirds (66.5%) said they bond with their kids during screentime.
Read the full Kids Interactive Entertainment Report at lingokids.com/research.
About Lingokids
Lingokids is the No. 1 kids' interactive entertainment platform, loved by kids, designed by educators, and trusted by parents worldwide. Used by over 20 million kids each month, Lingokids turns fun screen time into safe, high-quality play that sneaks in learning.
Lingokids sparks curiosity and creativity, helping kids explore who they are and who they can become. With over 4,000 activities, shows, and songs, more than 30 awards, and nearly 200 million downloads worldwide, we partner with the biggest names including Disney, Blippi, NASA, BBC Earth, and Oxford University Press.
To learn more, visit lingokids.com. Everything kids love.
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SOURCE Lingokids
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