An educational approach that lets children plan their agreed screen time themselves, within set limits.
Gametimer is an hourglass-shaped timer that lets your child plan their own daily screen time. It gives you a good reason to talk about screen time together. Then your child gets to use Gametimer themselves, within the time you've agreed. Learning by doing.
What you agree applies to all screens: phone, tablet, computer and console. Your child practices starting, pausing and stopping every day, learning how to manage screen time from a young age. Gametimer is designed and made in the Netherlands: sturdy and tough, with no buttons and easy to use by turning it. Each child chooses their own Gametimer from four colors.
As your child moves through middle and high school, Gametimer becomes a homework timer too. The agreed homework sessions and breaks help here too: four half-hour sessions with a short break between them, instead of two hours looking at a screen or a book without a break.
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Avoid arguments about screen time. Together, you agree how much daily screen time suits your family. Your children decide how to spread that time across the day. That takes the pressure off parents and gives children more freedom. It prevents unnecessary arguments and keeps home life happy!
Worldwide, about 1 in 3 children and young people is nearsighted, and the number is rising. Eye care experts advise the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds. They also advise at least 2 hours outdoors every day. Gametimer's break time setting makes it easy to schedule breaks between screen time sessions.
US pediatricians no longer set one fixed limit for every child and encourage families to make their own media plan.
Turn Gametimer so the GREEN side is on top to start a session. The lights go out from top to bottom, showing your child how much time is left. When the last light goes out, the session is over and a signal sounds until the red side is on top.
Turn Gametimer ON ITS SIDE for a short pause. In pause mode, it sounds a signal every minute at first, then every 15 seconds if the pause lasts longer. This lets everyone know it's paused and no time is being used.
With RED on top, Gametimer is idle. If the day's total time has been used up or a break is still running, turning it to green triggers a continuous alarm. A new session can only start once the break is over and there is time left.
Anyone can switch a screen off. Learning to wrap up on your own is a skill for life.
You want screen time to stop when the daily allowance runs out. Switching off the router or blocking an app can seem like the best answer. But screen time is set separately for each device. How do you split the daily allowance across them? Gametimer counts time on all screens towards one daily allowance.
Your child is watching a movie that ends at 9:10 pm, but bedtime is 9:00 pm. Or they're in the middle of an exciting game with friends. If the screen suddenly goes off, it feels like a punishment and causes frustration. That's why Gametimer never switches screens off unexpectedly.
With Gametimer, your child sees the time counting down and hears a signal as soon as it's up. They learn to wrap up on their own and say goodbye to friends, then turn Gametimer to red themselves. Step by step, they learn to start, pause and stop on their own.
Every Sunday at 12:00 pm, the app asks whether your child has used Gametimer well. Choose YES and the amount you set is added to the Wallet balance. Choose NO and nothing changes. With one tap, you can send your child a message of congratulations. A moment to feel proud!
Every parent wants the best for their child. But agreeing on screen time isn't easy. The old-school approach of switching off routers, taking devices away or arguing endlessly doesn't get you far.
Negotiating those extra five minutes, day after day. 41 percent of Dutch parents say limiting screen time is their biggest parenting challenge.
41% of Dutch parents say limiting screen time is their biggest parenting challenge. Source: Multiscope, Kids Care & Commerce (2021).
According to Oogfonds, 1 in 5 children and young people in the Netherlands is nearsighted. Long periods looking at things close up and little time outdoors play a major part.
1 in 5 Dutch people aged 5 to 19 is nearsighted. Source: Oogfonds, via NOS (October 2024).
There's more to life than sitting in front of a screen all day. Every extra hour of screen time means an hour less outdoors, playing sports or spending time with friends.
10.4% of Dutch children aged 12 to 16 feel lonely most or all of the time. Source: HBSC 2025, via NJi.
Each of my children has a Gametimer. I've set a daily screen time allowance for each of them. They can see how much time they have left, and I can check the app to see how much they've used. It works well, gives us structure and prevents unnecessary arguments.
Gametimer works perfectly for us! No more setting kitchen timers or other timers. It's all in Gametimer and the app. It's a fun device, and the children soon got used to it.
Managing screen time while building skills. Gametimer is the ideal solution in the battle against screen time!
A great device for teaching children to game in moderation! Those endless arguments have completely disappeared. Fantastic!
Finally, no more endless arguments about how long he can play on his PlayStation. Once we'd set it up, everything was in place and he could plan his own time.
Finally, no more arguments. My son now takes the timer with him without being reminded. He sees it as an extra challenge, so I hope that lasts. It takes a little figuring out at first, but using Gametimer is really "child's play". The only downside is how long it takes to charge, but then you get a month's use out of it.
They've taken well to Gametimer, and we're happy with the screen time arrangements we've made. It took a little getting used to, but its educational value soon became clear.
Since we started using Gametimer, things have been much calmer at home. In particular, those unnecessary arguments have stopped completely. It took a little time at first to work out how to use it properly. Once I understood that and the idea behind it, I found it a helpful solution for screen time.
The Gametimer app is available on the App Store and Google Play. Use it to save what you've agreed and see how much screen time your child has used. Only you, the parent, can change the settings. To read the data, you need to be near Gametimer at home.
$146per Gametimer
Can't find the answer to your question? Contact us at contact@gametimer.com
Gametimer doesn't switch screens off. It encourages parents and children to talk about screen time together. Children can plan their screen time within the agreed limits. This increases their awareness of screen time and prevents arguments.
As soon as time is up, Gametimer sounds clear alerts. These only stop when Gametimer is turned back to red. We recommend giving children time to finish their game properly and say goodbye to their friends. For more advice, see our 5 tips.
For the best results, we recommend a separate Gametimer for each child. Every child has different needs, depending on their age and commitments. You can manage several Gametimers in our app. There are several colors to choose from, and we offer attractive discounts when you buy more than one Gametimer, unless a promotion is running.
Our users value the difference Gametimer makes to everyday life. If it doesn't meet your expectations, you can use our 14-day satisfaction guarantee. If Gametimer doesn't bring calm to your home, you'll get your money back.
Send your question to contact@gametimer.com and we will answer it as soon as possible.
