ABOUT THIS EPISODE
A screen time framework is a way of deciding how your kids use their screens, not just how long they are on them. If you are tired of fighting over timers and hourly limits, you are not alone, and the fight itself is about to change. In January 2026, the American Academy of Pediatrics moved away from strict hourly rules toward guidance built on quality and context, the exact shift Katie Armentrout has already been making at home for years.
Katie Armentrout, founder of Peoplefluence and host of Think Outside the Boss, built the Six E's of screen time (entertain, educate, escape, earn, errands, and engage) after asking herself one simple question on a dog walk: what am I actually using this phone for? In this solo episode, she walks through each E with real examples from her own house of three kids, explains why escape is the one to watch most closely, and shares the exact script she uses to help her own kids learn to manage their screen time. Download her free Six E's one pager and start the conversation with your family before the new school year begins.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- A screen time framework built around purpose, not hours, and the one question Katie asks before handing over any device: what are you using this for right now?
- The Six E's of screen time: entertain, educate, escape, earn, errands, and engage, and how naming the purpose behind a screen session changes the outcome for kids and adults alike.
- Why escape is the riskiest of the Six E's, how it quietly turns into doom scrolling, and the warning signs Katie watches for with her own three kids.
- How much of a message actually lands in a text versus a phone call, and why that changes how you should engage with people through a screen.
- Why Katie's family keeps three screen free days a week in the summer, and what happens to that rule once homework enters the picture.
- A simple script to ask your kids, or yourself, before every screen session so they eventually learn to manage their own screen time without you standing over their shoulder.
- Where to download Katie's free Six E's one pager so you can print it and talk through it with your own kids before the new school year starts.
We talk about:
00:00 Why screen time is the wrong question to ask
00:32 Meet Katie's three kids and their three different stages
01:36 Why Katie actually loves screen time some days
02:24 What's the real problem with time based limits
03:08 How the Six E's framework was born on a dog walk
04:03 The Six E's revealed: entertain, educate, escape, earn, errands, engage
05:27 Escape, the riskiest of the Six E's
07:19 Errands, why your phone does more than you think
09:45 How much of communication is really tone of voice
12:04 How to use the Six E's with your own kids today
17:01 Why Katie's family keeps screen free days in summer
23:00 Get the free Six E's one pager
Resources:
- Want a print out of the Six E's of Screens framework? Download it here: https://skilled-trailblazer-7280.kit.com/6es
Connect with me
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentrout
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentrout
- LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentrout
- Newsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletter
- Website: http://www.peoplefluence.com
#screentime #parentingtips #screentimeforkids #digitalwellness #healthyhabits #parentinghacks #screenfree #digitalparenting #parentingadvice #raisingkids #familyrules #middleschoolparenting #parentingteens #mindfultech #backtoschool #parentingpodcast #thinkoutsidetheboss
