Each reader has three time settings, all on their Safety page in the card called "Time and bedtime": a daily limit, a bedtime, and a timer that stops a story being read aloud. Nothing on your child's screen ever counts down. When a limit is reached, Pip says it is time for a rest.
To find the card, go to Readers, choose your child, open "Safety" and scroll to "Time and bedtime". Change what you need and press "Save".
Daily limit
"Daily limit in minutes" takes any number from 5 to 240. Leave it empty for no limit.
When your child has read for that many minutes in a day, their home screen and the book maker show a sleepy Pip saying "Time for a rest. Your books will be here later." They cannot make a new book, and there is nothing on their side that extends the limit.
A few things are worth knowing about how it works today:
- What counts. Reading and listening minutes are added up when your child closes a book or leaves it, so time in a book that is still open counts only once they finish that sitting. A book that is already open is not closed when the limit is reached, and books can still be opened from the "Books" tab at the bottom of their screen.
- When the day starts. The day starts again at midnight in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not at midnight where you live. In the United States, that is in the afternoon or evening.
- Where you see it. Your list of readers shows the limit as a label, such as "30 minutes a day".
Bedtime
Under "Bedtime", set a "From" and an "Until" time. Between those times, the page becomes warm and dim and the pictures soften. A bedtime that crosses midnight, such as 19:00 until 07:00, works as you would expect.
Bedtime does not stop your child reading. It follows the clock on their own device, so it comes on at the right time wherever they are.
Inside a book, your child can switch the night light to "On" or "Off" on that device, or leave it on "At bedtime" to follow your times. See Paper, spacing and the night light.
To remove a bedtime, clear both times and press "Save". You need to give both times or neither.
Stop reading aloud after
"Stop reading aloud after, in minutes" is for a story still being read aloud after your child has fallen asleep. You can choose from 5 to 120 minutes. Leave it empty and the story keeps going.
In a book, the time counts only while the story is being read aloud. When it is up, the voice stops and Pip says "That is enough for tonight. The rest will still be here tomorrow.", with "One more bit" to carry on and "Close the book". When your child is listening to books in a row, the listening ends and Pip says goodnight.
Inside a book that has a recorded voice, your child can pick 10, 20 or 30 minutes instead, or leave it on your setting, "Grown-up's". Their choice is kept on that device until they change it.
A nudge before bedtime
You can also ask us to email you, never your child, an hour before the earliest bedtime you have set:
- Set a bedtime for at least one reader, as above.
- Go to Settings > Emails and reminders.
- Turn on "Email me an hour before story time" under "A nudge before bedtime".
It is one message a day, it uses the time zone of the device you turned it on from, and it stops as soon as you turn it off. The emails we send lists the others.
Books in a row
If your child listens to books, "Books that can play in a row" on their Settings page decides how many play before Pip asks whether to carry on. See Listening to books in a row.
We do not send your child notifications, and we never email you to bring them back. Screen time and our approach explains the rest.