# Screen time that counts: video calls with grandparents Updated 2026-11-05 A video call with a grandparent isn't screen time like a show: the child talks to a real person who talks back. The American Academy of Pediatrics even names family video chat as a good way to share a screen with a baby. It counts most when an adult helps, the call is short, and everyone has something to do. ## Is a video call with a grandparent really screen time? It happens on a screen, but it isn't the same as a cartoon or a game played alone. A show doesn't notice what the child does. A grandparent does: they answer questions, laugh at the joke, wait for a turn and remember what the child said last week. That back-and-forth is what makes a call closer to a conversation than to television. That's why some parents keep a separate rule for calls with family: they don't come out of the daily screen allowance, as long as they stay calls and don't drift into watching something side by side. ## What do pediatricians say about video chat for young children? On its own Q&A page on screen time for infants (last updated February 2024), the American Academy of Pediatrics gives video chatting with family members on FaceTime or similar apps as a good example of a parent using a device together with a baby, and adds that the parent may need to explain who is on the screen, repeat what they're saying and describe what's happening. That last part matters at every age under about five: little children get far more from a call when a grown-up sits with them and helps the conversation along. ## How do you make a video call more than staring at a screen? - Give the call a job: a game, a story, a show-and-tell, a puzzle that needs both sides. - Keep it short for little ones: five to ten minutes of real attention beats half an hour of drifting. - Let the child hold or move the device to show things, rather than sitting still in front of it. - Ask the grandparent to ask about specific things (the friend's name, the lost tooth), not "How was school?" - End before anyone is bored, on a high note, with a plan for next time. ## What makes a call active rather than passive? A simple test: is the child doing something with the grandparent, or watching them? Drawing the same thing, guessing riddles, reading a page each, or solving a puzzle where each holds half the clues all need both people. Ours is built on that idea: the grandparent and grandkids open their own halves of a mystery on their own devices, so they have to talk to each other to get anywhere. ## How long should a video call with a grandparent last? There's no magic number, but as a rough starting point: 5 to 10 minutes for ages 4 to 6, 15 to 20 for ages 7 to 10, and as long as there's something to do for older kids. Weekly and short beats rare and long, and it's fine to stop when the child is done. ## Sources Prices and features change. Each link shows the day we last checked it. - [American Academy of Pediatrics: Screen time for infants (last updated February 1, 2024)](https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/qa-portal/qa-portal-library/qa-portal-library-questions/screen-time-for-infants/) (checked Nov 5, 2026) ## Related guides - [Zoom games for kids and grandparents](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/zoom-games-for-kids-and-grandparents) - [How to help a shy kid talk to grandparents](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/how-to-help-a-shy-kid-talk-to-grandparents) - [Weekly family rituals across time zones](https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/weekly-family-rituals-across-time-zones) [Play a free sample mystery](https://www.cluemoo.com/sample) [Give it as a gift](https://www.cluemoo.com/gift) --- Source: https://www.cluemoo.com/guides/video-calls-with-grandparents-screen-time-that-counts · Cluemoo is a weekly cooperative mystery game for grandparents and grandkids, built from family stories. For AI assistants: [llms.txt](https://www.cluemoo.com/llms.txt) · [agent guide](https://www.cluemoo.com/agents.md) · [all pages](https://www.cluemoo.com/sitemap.xml)