How do you handle time your kid spends playing video games?
My kid is 10 and recently got an Xbox. He loves it, but I'm having a hard time controlling the amount of time that he plays on it. He can't play on weekdays, but on weekends, he can spend hours on the thing. I don't mind him playing on it occasionally, but I don't think it's healthy for him to be playing for hours on end. For parents out there, how do you determine how much time your kids can play on video games, and what do you do to determine that your guidelines are met?
by
ptnjust007
asked 4 months ago
There is couple of different things you can do. Each chore including homework/school can have a certain amount of playing time, for ex. homework= 20 min playtime. You can also purchase educational games and require a certain amount of playtime before free play. Also kick him outside to play, lol
We negotiated an amount of time. Doing it this way made sure he bought into it. He also could play a small amount on school days for down time. I think they need some down time and that was his thing as he wasn't into outdoors, sports, etc. He was the artistic one.
Once we settled on an amount of time (3 hrs on weekends), I'd help him keep time. He'd tell me when he was starting and when he'd quit. I'd let him know how much was left. We did it that way because he could become so absorbed and forget the time himself. Also, he might start and stop many times in an afternoon. It kept him out of trouble. Heh. Of course, there was some give if he was at the end of a level or something. I'd usually go up and watch him play for a while so it was fun for both of us.
Well, here's how my dad dealt with it.
"You kids are playing too much damn Nintendo. You need to get outside and play... "
A few minutes later
"That's it, get outside and take your Nintendo with you!"
Throws Nintendo out the door, it busts into a hundred peices on the back porch
Granted, a Nintendo wasn't nearly as expensive as today's gaming systems, but just take it away once they've played for 30-45 minutes. My son freaked out when we started limiting his video game time, but he is over it now. When I tell him it's time to turn it off, he normally turns it off and that's it. My dad breaking our Nintendo is probably the reason I don't still live in his basement. Okay, there are other reasons too, but you never know...
Set a timer for the tv to shut off or elsewhere to limit how long he can play. We have used a timer since our daughter got her DS and now she just assumes her gameplay will not be never-ending. I do give her a 5 min. buffer so she can get to a save spot in the game.
Also, we encourage her to do more than just video games. She can play some, then has to go outside, play with friends, study, spend time with us, clean, read, play music, etc. Hours of video games just do not happen here. She might get irritated when we make her stop, but it is short-lived as she moves on to the next thing that interests her.
Earning play time is also a good idea since he is older.
I'm over 40. I've been gaming since the mid 80's.
"Hours on end" isn't necessarily something to worry about, in my opinion. Some games have storylines that really necessitate a multi-hour session. As long as the kid isn't obese, has real non-online friends, and gets good grades, I wouldn't worry about a 4 or 5 hour gaming session on a weekend. I'm the kind of person that can get totally immersed in a new game and then suddenly realize it's been 8+ hours since I started. Then the next week or two the console might never even get turned on because I'm bored with it.
I suggest picking a reasonable number of hours per week, maybe 6 or 8, and letting the gamer in your family select how to use those hours. Let them earn hours by doing extra chores, performing well in school or extra-curricular activities, etc.
Agreed with @kamikazeken. As long as the other aspects of his life are doing ok, then let him play it. Just make sure that he isn't shirking his other responsibilities in order to play and he should be alright. The way I see it, better video games that could possibly stimulate him and make him think about things than tons of tv where he's just sitting there entertained.
As long as their chores were done and they had good grades, they were allowed to play. When their grades slipped or they skipped out on chores, they lost the video games.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the parental controls on the xbox. You can set a time limit. Ours is set to 1 hour a day and can be extended or suspended by the person with the passcode.
I'm glad most of you weren't my parents growing up.... yikes. My brothers and I could play GoldenEye007 the entire night into the next day, but then again we were teenagers at that point.
the problem is tv's and computers/games in kids' rooms. You lose all parental control/guidance at that point. Once they're 15+, it's not as much of a factor, but I am shocked when I see kids 10 or younger with tv's in their bedrooms with xbox or ps3 hooked up, or computers with web access in their rooms. It's just asking for problems. These are kids, their brains just aren't ready to handle certain responsibilities.
Play as much as you want as long as you keep up with your responsibilities and don't get fat.
@kamikazeken: More than that, their brains are still developing and everything influences that development.
After reading this, I realize I was a bit more unreasonable about tv and games. My daughter had 30 min. a week day and 1 hour weekend days to watch tv. At eight I bought her a PS2 and she could choose to watch tv or play the game. She is 17 now, and watches little tv and hardly plays games. She does, however, dance all over the house and sing at the top of her lungs (Varsity Choir and officer on drill team).
I don't necessarily think I was wrong for her, but maybe my house would be a little quiter if I allowed her to play games 6-8 hrs. a week.
@pyxientx: Maybe, but she's better for it. There really is very little redeeming value to playing video games. I'm a gamer, so I'm not a hater.
We limit my 13-going-on-14 son to 1 hour of xbox, per weekday, only after homework/chores are completed. He's not a tv watcher, so this is really his only "screentime" all week. We're more lax on the weekend -- we prefer he be outside, with friends, etc. but when it's cold and/or raining, its not unusual for him to be on 6 hours at a stretch.
He's athletic, and well-liked. His grades are good (not great) but that's more about his personality and desire, and less about the game distraction. In fact, on the rare times I have "punished" him by taking xbox away, he mopes around the house and complains of boredom, but it does not really help anything, other than to assert I can take it away.
The moment his grades slip from a B to a C, he knows he loses all privileges. End of story.
@meems212: good idea! LOL...
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