"Media" time

[hunterseat]

I didn't have cable. That cut out a whole lot. Also if something became an argument it was no longer in my house so they knew not to argue when I said "turn it off and go to bed". Whatever "it" was at the moment, game, movie. I made my son throw the TV in the trash once - he thought I was bluffing. When it was trash pick-up day I told him to drag the can out to the street and he asked "do you want me to take the TV out?" Um, no. (it was an old TV and I wanted to get a new one but I made him sweat a while) Also I didn't allow R rated movies in the house. And I followed the age guidelines on games.

[txtqueen]

Originally Posted by Lucidkitty

When I was growing up as long as we had all our work done and kept our grades up then there was no limit on the amount of media time we had.

It was the same in my house.

I went to school, school got out at 1:50, from that time to 3:00 I would do homework, then practice till 5-6. I'd get home, shower then eat and the rest if the night was usually mine, I'd run a load through the washer while I sat online and watched tv or I'd be in my room, put some stuff away, clean up a little while listening to music and IMimg friends.

I'd get quiet and go to sleep on my own and id get up on my own.
If I stayed up too late, I still got up and went to school.

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by AnnaNomus

At first, I didn't monitor screen time much, except for content. She was allowed to play games and watch certain videos, but the problem is that screen becomes addictive. My normally active daughter suddenly wanted to just sit with a screen in front of her constantly, and complained about being bored when she didn't have one. Even riding in the car, if I didn't allow her to play on my phone, she couldn't just sit and listen to music and look out the window, or have a conversation, or read a book...she was SO bored. Even for a 10-15 minute ride! That's when I knew it was time to make some changes.

Now, after a day of summer camp, she either has dance or tumbling class, has to do her required summer reading/math work for school, has chores, or plays outside, and on my days off we plan activities to do together. In the car she reads or listens to music like she used to. She has little to no time for computer games, and seldom even asks to play anymore.

I agree that the problem is for some children, it just becomes too addictive.

A few years ago I worked with a special needs student who would play games on his I-Pad from the time that he got home from school until he fell asleep late at night. He wouldn't even stop to eat dinner (unless his mom put food next to him) or to use the bathroom (he wore diapers even though he should have been toilet trained). Obviously, it was a huge problem, but his mother didn't want to deal with his tantrums when she tried to take the I-Pad away from him, so he just spend hours and hours a day playing games.

Luckily, very, very few children ever get so addicted that they don't stop to eat or use the bathroom.

But, some children get so addicted that it may significantly decrease the amount of time that they spend doing other things like playing outside, riding their bikes, reading, doing family activities, etc.

[Natsku]

My kid is still a toddler so screen time is limited. She usually gets to watch a cartoon or two before bed, used to watch one in the morning too as that was the only way to get her out of bed in the morning. Sometimes she watches kids tv which is an hour long but most days she's playing outside during that time.

[Gcs15]

Originally Posted by Frustrated Hippy

Oooh... I wouldn't survive at your house. Lately I've been plugged in way too much! I need to be monitored more than my kiddo does. Lol!

I spent most of Thursday night/Friday morning binging on Orange Is the New Black. I didn't even take a break. No shame!

I did the same lol but now it's another year til the next season.

As for my daughter, I don't have any rules. She is 3 so she uses the iPad to watch shows and movies, and play games. She has no interest in R rated movies, only Umizoomi, Blues Clues, Sesame Street, etc. She only plays it when it is "calm time" like before a nap or sleep, while eating, stuff like that. The rest of the time is running around playing "normal". It is great for those almost time for bed times or rainy days. When she gets older we will probably have to lay down some rules but for now everything's good.

[Mandalorian]

Gosh, some of you people are hard.

Growing up, my parents were more relaxed about stuff like this. I watched R-rated movies (not horror), played what limited video games we had, played with toys, etc as much as I wanted.

My best friend's parents were a lot more strict. He could watch TV for like 1/2hr a week, never play video games, own limited toys, eat one tootsie roll a week, it was like a Nazi camp. He was also pushed very hard in school, but burned out.


When he was at my house, we would watch R-movies, eat tons of candy, play video games for hours, etc. He was WAY worse than me in every regard.
Regarding life experiences, I turned out much better. I could control myself, I could moderate. His candy substance abuse moved on to much worse things.


The point is, it's better experience to not live in a Nazi camp as a child.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by Ohky0815

Do you monitor your child's media time? (computer, tablet, phone, tv). What they watch or how long? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one but I feel like they behave better for not vegging out all day.

As a child my parents didnt care but then again it was common to play outside all day back then.

REALLY depends on the age of the child. A 6 year old? Certainly. A 16 year old? Not nearly as much. :-) As they get older and can demonstrate good decision making skills, they get more freedom. If they are playing Candy Crush instead of doing their geometry homework and end up with a poor grade in geometry as a result, well, then, yes, there will be consequences.

[Siggy20]

During the summer time, I don't get too upset. This first week out of school is a relax week for us. Next week going to buckle down a bit more and get them reading 30 minutes a day. Both are weak readers and I don't want to lose ground over the summer.

I do try to get them out so they don't spend every waking hour on media. Today going to the pool for a few hours.

During the school year, media comes when they are done with homework. If it is a nice day, I push them outside. We just bought a house with an awesome pool so imagine that we will spend lots more time outside.