The 3 6 9 12 rule for kids is a developmental framework that was created by a French psychiatrist named Serge Tisseron.
The 3 6 9 12 rule for kids helps parents pace and manage their children's exposure to screens.
The guidelines with the 3 6 9 12 rule for kids, state that there are no screens before age 3, no personal gaming consoles before age 6, no unsupervised internet before 9 and no social medial before age 12.
When a child is under 3, there should be no screens as a child under 3 needs to discover their environment through real world, sensory play, instead of screens.
Early exposure to screens can negatively impact their sleep, language development and parent child attachment.
However video calls with distant family members are generally acceptable.
And it's still okay for a child under 3 to watch some television.
Between the ages of 3 to 6, they should have no personal consoles as children these ages of between 3 to 6 can engage with technology, but screens at these ages should be used sparingly, mainly as a shared activity with family.
Avoid giving kids between ages 3 to 6, their own personal portable video game consoles as they can easily absorb their focus and hinder their motor skill development.
Between the ages of 6 to 9, they should not use the internet unsupervised.
Children between the ages of 6 to 9 can use the internet and be introduced to computers as well as digital games, but they should be used to create something, instead of passively consume.
Children between the ages of 6 to 9 should not have free reign of the internet without parental accompaniment as well as supervision.
And although children between the ages of 9 to 12 may beg for a smartphone or a social media profile, their brains are also not developed enough yet, to handle the dangers, pressures and permanence of the online world.
And so internet at the ages of 9 to 12 should be heavily regulated and restricted.