How much AI time is too much for a 9-year-old?

There's no evidence-backed universal number, and anyone quoting one precisely is guessing. The more answerable version: is it displacing sleep, movement, homework, or people? If not, and if the child is producing things rather than consuming, you're likely in reasonable territory.

Does creative AI use really count as 'good' screen time?

When the child is making decisions, testing results, and fixing what's wrong — yes, that's active learning that happens to be on a screen. When the AI is doing the thinking and the child is watching, it's consumption with extra steps.

My child wants to just chat with the AI. Is that harmful?

Not inherently, but it's the mode with the least to show for it and no natural end. Steer it toward a purpose — build something, explain something, solve something — and it becomes a much better use of the same minutes.

Should AI time count inside their normal screen limit?

Split it. Passive AI belongs in the same bucket as video; project-based creation is closer to homework or a craft. Lumping them together is what makes the limit feel arbitrary to your child — because it is.

How do I know what my child actually did in there?

Three things in ascending order of reliability: ask to see what exists at the end, ask them to explain one part of it in their own words, and use a tool that keeps a record you can read later. Reading the transcript yourself is the option most parents reach for first and the one that works worst — it is long, it is boring, and a wall of chat tells you what was typed rather than what was learned.

孩子用 AI 的屏幕时间算坏吗？看方式，不看分钟 | 路奇 Luchi

做一个小游戏的四十分钟，和自动播放的四十分钟，不是一回事。一个问题就能分清任何一次 AI 使用——结束时有东西被做出来了吗？另附五条比定时器更管用的规则。

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