Screen time for kids: How to loosen the rules during haze days

When haze keeps your child indoors, screen-time rules can become harder to stick to. The playground is off-limits, outdoor activities are cancelled and suddenly the tablet is doing more of the entertaining than usual.  

Here is how to decide how much screen time for kids is reasonable during haze days, make those extra hours more worthwhile and gradually return to your usual rules when the air clears. 

Why more screen time makes sense during haze season 

During a haze episode, keeping children indoors can mean finding new ways to fill the hours they would normally spend outside. In late August 2026, air quality monitors recorded unhealthy API readings at around 30 spots nationwide, with Sarawak and the Klang Valley among the worst affected [1]. 

Doctors have also advised parents to keep children indoors before air quality officially reaches the unhealthy range because children are more sensitive to the fine particles, known as PM2.5, carried by haze [2]. 

The health impact can make a few extra hours of screen time a reasonable trade-off. During this haze episode, one report cited increases of 259% in asthma cases and 124% in upper respiratory infections within a single week [3]. 

How much screen time is okay during haze? 

Loosening the rules does not mean removing them completely. Start by looking at what your child’s normal routine already includes. 

For children aged two to five, up to one hour of non-educational screen time on school days and up to three hours on weekends [4]. 

For children aged six and older, there is no single recommended hourly limit, but screens should still be age-appropriate and should not crowd out essentials such as sleep, meals and family time [4]. 

Make screen time count when you are stuck indoors 

Choose quality over quantity 

Not all screen time is the same. When your child is spending several days indoors, look for content that gives them something to do, think about or talk about. 

That could be a: 

• programme with a proper storyline

• an age-appropriate educational app

• a building or drawing game, 

• or a video call with grandparents. 

The goal during a haze week is not to achieve perfect screen-time numbers. It is to make the extra screen time work better for your family. 

Balance screens with quiet indoor play 

Being stuck indoors does not mean your child has to spend the entire day sitting in front of a device. Break up longer screen sessions with activities that require little space and do not involve going outside. 

Try building blocks, puzzles, drawing, reading, crafts or helping with simple kitchen tasks. For older children, board games, card games, journalling or a small indoor project can also provide a change of pace. 

💡 Supermom tip: Keep one screen-free window that stays in place even during haze days, such as mealtimes or the hour before bed. Having one predictable boundary can make it easier to return to your usual routine later. 

Use the API to decide when outdoor play can return 

Knowing your local Air Pollutant Index, or API, can help you decide when it is sensible to keep children indoors. 

Malaysia’s API is divided into five categories: good, moderate, unhealthy, very unhealthy and hazardous. These correspond to readings of 0 to 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 200, 201 to 300 and above 300 respectively [5]. 

Outdoor activities for students are suspended when the API exceeds 100, while readings above 200 trigger a shift to online learning for schools [6]. 

How to return to normal screen-time rules 

Once the haze clears, you do not have to cut screen time back dramatically overnight. 

If air quality has improved and your child can safely return to outdoor activities, start bringing those activities back first. You can then reduce the extra screen time over the next few days rather than suddenly removing it. 

For example, you might say, “Now that we can play outside again, tablet time goes back to normal after dinner.” 

Giving your child advance notice can make the transition easier. They may still complain when the extra screen time ends, but that does not mean you made the wrong decision by allowing it in the first place. 

References 

1. Malay Mail. “Sarawak and Klang Valley Worst Hit as 30 Spots in Malaysia Breach ‘Unhealthy’ API Levels.” Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/08/25/sarawak-and-klang-valley-worst-hit-as-30-spots-in-malaysia-breach-unhealthy-api-levels/232552.  

2. Free Malaysia Today. “Keep Children Indoors Before the Air Turns Unhealthy, Say Doctors.” Accessed 8 September 2026.  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/30/keep-children-indoors-before-the-air-turns-unhealthy-say-doctors.  

3. Bondi, Melvin Ebin. “Haze and Health: When Is It Too Dangerous to Carry On?” Borneo Post Online. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.theborneopost.com/2026/08/31/haze-and-health-when-is-it-too-dangerous-to-carry-on/.  

4. Gleneagles Hospitals. “Screen Time Guideline for Children.” Gleneagles Malaysia. Accessed 8 September 2026. https://gleneagles.com.my/health-digest/children-screen-time-guideline.  

5. Malay Mail. “Haze Returns: What Malaysians Need to Know as Air Quality Deteriorates.” Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/08/17/haze-returns-what-malaysians-need-to-know-as-air-quality-deteriorates/231225.  

6. Malay Mail. “If API Exceeds 200, Malaysian Schools Will Activate Online Learning; Outdoor Activities Banned over API 100, Says Education Minister.” Accessed 8 September 2026. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/07/22/if-api-exceeds-200-malaysian-schools-will-activate-online-learning-outdoor-activities-banned-over-api-100-says-education-minister/184816.