Screen Time Rules for a Colorado Parenting Plan
A phone gets taken away at one house and handed back at the other. A game banned on Monday is fine by Friday. For a child with two homes, mixed screen rules can feel like a loophole. For the parents, they often become the next fight.
In Colorado, many of these fights can be settled on paper before they start. Palmer Family Law is a Parker, Colorado family law firm that helps parents develop parenting plans and seek changes to custody orders.
This article is general information, not legal advice. It cannot predict how a court will rule in any case.
Why Should Device Rules Go Into the Parenting Plan?
The average screen day for US children aged 8 to 18 runs 7 1/2 hours, says the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). The same page lists risks such as cyberbullies and predators, sexual content, and misleading information.
A written term is easier to point to than a verbal deal. Colorado calls custody the “allocation of parental responsibilities.” Palmer Family Law’s child custody page splits it into parenting time and decision-making responsibility. If both parents agree on every part of a plan, a judge may not need to step in.
Shared habits for establishing internet safety in two homes come first. This piece is about writing them down and changing them later.
What Could a Screen Time Clause Cover?
The AACAP page suggests these age-based limits:
- Until 18 months, screen use limited to video chatting along with an adult.
- From 18 to 24 months, educational programming watched with a caregiver.
- For ages 2 to 5, about 1 hour of non-educational screen time per weekday and 3 hours on weekend days.
- For ages 6 and older, healthy habits and limits on screen activities.
- At every age, screens off and out of bedrooms 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
Parents can then add terms that fit their own child:
- Which apps, games and social platforms are allowed, and at what age
- Whether both homes use the same filters and parental controls
- Who decides when the child gets a first smartphone
- Where devices charge overnight in each home
- How the child may call or video chat with the other parent
A child’s search settings may not travel from one home network to the other.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
How Does Colorado Law Treat a Change Versus a Restriction?
Colorado law separates two kinds of change to parenting time, and different standards apply to each.
A court may modify parenting time if the change is in the best interests of the child. That comes from section 14-10-129(1)(a)(I), C.R.S. A restriction faces a higher bar. A court may not restrict parenting time unless it finds the parenting time would endanger the child’s physical health or significantly impair the child’s emotional development.
The Colorado Supreme Court drew the line between the two in a 2026 ruling, In re Marriage of Dale, 2026 CO 35. It held that a restriction means zero parenting time, or qualitative constraints on the manner, location or environment of parenting time. Its examples were supervised visits, no overnight visits, or a set location. The court also said that not every qualitative term or condition is a restriction, including minor ones.
In that case, a father’s parenting time was cut by about 45 overnights a year, or 28.1%. The court treated it as a modification, so the best-interests standard applied. The opinion also notes a limit in subsection (2). A modification cannot both substantially change parenting time and change the parent the child mostly lives with. The exception is when the court makes one of four findings set out in the statute.
Whether a device rule is a minor term or a real constraint depends on the facts, so ask a Colorado family lawyer.
What Happens When One Parent Files a Motion?
Colorado court form JDF 1406 handles both kinds of request.
| Step | Motion to change parenting time | Motion to restrict parenting time |
| Standard stated on the form | Changes in the best interest of the child | Child in imminent or immediate danger from the contact |
| Response time | 21 days to file a written response | Response may be filed on or before the emergency hearing |
| Hearing | Timing not stated on the form | Within 14 days of filing, if granted by the court |
| Interim request | None on the form | Supervised parenting time until the hearing |
Photo by Johan Mouchet on Unsplash
The form tells the filing parent to check whether the current order requires mediation before filing. It also asks whether a change was requested in the last 2 years. Supervision, if ordered, is provided by a licensed mental health professional or someone the court appoints.
Can Screen Time Disputes Stay Out of Court?
Palmer Family Law’s page notes that a court is more likely to approve a change when both parties agree to it. When parents cannot agree, there are options short of a full hearing:
- Mediation, which some orders require before a motion is filed
- A talk with a family lawyer about filing an agreed change
- A parenting coordinator or decision-maker (PC/DM) appointed by the court
Palmer Family Law’s attorneys act as court-appointed PC/DMs around Parker. The firm says this role covers clarifying and implementing court orders on parenting time, and making final, binding decisions on parenting issues when necessary. It also says working with a PC/DM is often faster and less expensive than going back to court.
Write the Rules Down Before the Next New Device
Write device rules before a dispute, not during one. Start with age-based limits and keep both homes on the same filters. If a change becomes necessary, know which standard applies before you file. Palmer Family Law offers a free 30-minute consultation by phone, video or in person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Parenting Plan Include Screen Time Limits?
Parents can agree on device terms and include them in their plan. How a court treats a specific term in a dispute depends on the facts.
Is Taking Away a Phone During Parenting Time a Restriction?
It depends on the facts. The Colorado Supreme Court tied restrictions to zero parenting time or constraints on the manner, location or environment of parenting time, such as supervision. It also said minor qualitative terms are not automatically restrictions.
How Long Does the Other Parent Have to Respond to a Motion?
JDF 1406 gives 21 days to file a written response to a motion to change parenting time. For a motion to restrict, the response can be filed on or before the emergency hearing. That hearing is held within 14 days of filing, if the court grants it.
Should Both Homes Use the Same Parental Controls?
Matching controls leaves fewer gaps a child can exploit. AACAP advises parents to learn about and use parental controls. Writing the settings into the plan gives both homes one reference point.
