Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri opens up about how he manages screen time for his children: ‘They earn their 90 minutes’

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri reveals how he manages his kids’ screen time, focusing on earned access, balance, and structure rather than strict bans.

With conversations around digital fatigue and endless scrolling growing louder, managing screen time has become a concern even for those who build social media platforms. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri recently shared in a podcast with It's Called Soccer about how he personally navigates screen time, offering insight into the habits and boundaries he follows in an always-online world.

Adam Mosseri advocates balanced screen time approach for kids in digital age. (Instagram)

How Adam Mosseri manage screen time for his kids

Speaking about parenting in the digital age, Mosseri revealed that his kids are mostly interested in video games, but screen time in their household isn’t freely given, it’s earned. “They start with none,” Mosseri explained, adding that access to screens is tied to responsibility rather than punishment.

“They have three half-hour sections during the week where they do homework. If they complete all three, they earn their 90 minutes on the weekend,” he said.

Interestingly, Mosseri shared that he has stopped taking screen time away as a form of discipline. “We never take it away,” he noted. “When I used to take it away, they would get really dysregulated and behave even worse.”

Why Mosseri stopped using screen time as punishment

That realisation prompted a shift in approach. “So I was like, alright, I’ll never take it away. You start with none, and you have to earn it,” Mosseri said, emphasising that consistency matters more than punishment.

However, there is one situation where rules loosen considerably, travel. “When all barriers go out the window is on planes,” he admitted with honesty. “On planes, it’s just like whatever gets you to the other side. You’re just trying to survive.”

Mosseri’s approach reflects a growing parenting philosophy that focuses on balance, structure and emotional regulation rather than strict bans, an especially notable perspective coming from the head of one of the world’s most influential social media platforms.

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