What are your time limit rules for Tablets and gaming systems?

[blackbirdmama*3]

Originally Posted by z2akids I think reading on a tablet is bad for the eyes, so I wouldn't use the tablets for reading. My kids have Kindle ereaders for reading and itouch and DS for personal game time. In our house media is not allowed for school aged children during the week (when school is in session) unless they are stuck at an appointment or something like that. Mon-Thur nights are homework, sports, chores, reading and family time. Weekends they can play with few limitations as long as they don't overdo it.

This is us too. They honestly prefer real books and rarely if ever use the kindle touch. The kindle fire is very hard on the eyes to read on but they do take them to play games if we are at a sports practice for a sibling sometimes but all gaming is usually reserved for weekends. We just don't have much time through the week for games/tv. We do love Duck Dynasty though!

[ktmelody]

As long as behavior and chores are in check we dont limit it. My kids are good at limiting themselves.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by mama2cntrykids We don't have tablets, BUT my dd6 has a leapster (original) and as long as the games she's playing are educational, and she has her school/chore work done, I don't really care how much time she spends on it. That said, she's never spent more than an hour on it, so it hasn't been an issue for us. We are getting a Kindle Fire HD after we get our tax refund. So the rules might be different, b/c we also have two older boys and a toddler that will want to mess on it, so we'll see.

We have tablets, and this is how it works for us, too.

Honestly, the "new" wears off, and it just becomes another time waster for a lot of kids.

As long as they have all their stuff handled for that day, and they are not in trouble, I don't mind them wasting some time on it. I've never had them be on my tablet so long that I have to pry it from them. Usually, they run away and go play something else so fast that I think "wow, that only bought me 10 minutes of time?! " lol.

I'd imagine as kids get older and more into that type of stuff, it might change.

I would definitely limit the amount of screen time if I felt it was unhealthy.

Maybe you could put it in a special place where it is kept, and allow them one hour each day to do whatever they want on it? That way, it can be used throughout the day as they want, but they only get one hour total on it. Plus then it is a privilege and not something they just can have whenever they want to. KWIM?

[Michelle_M]

Originally Posted by MamaLump I haven't read all the posts, but I wouldn't give unlimited reading time. The reason is that it really sets the temptation to lie to you very high. I'm certainly not saying that they will lie, but I'm also a practical enough person that I don't think it's a good idea to set them up with such obvious motivation.

The rule that we have already decided on is that they can only use their tablets in the living room (DS2 has a habit of just dropping stuff wherever he happens to be when he's done with it), so it would be really easy to look over their shoulder every once in a while.

And add to that, I don't have a problem with my 7 yr old lying. HOWEVER, that would TOTALLY be something DS2 would do. LOL

In fact, just today I was in my room nursing DD, DS2 said "Can I play with the markers, L isn't awake." (L is 2 1/2 and draws on walls with the dry erase markers, so the rule is the markers are a supervised item). As he was telling me that L was asleep, L comes running into my room. When I asked DS2 why he lied, he said "Because I want to play with the markers." *sigh*

Anyway... all that to say.. I see your point depending on which child we're talking about.

God bless!

[TinaDeanette]

We have a 1 hour limit on playing games (even educational ones). Thy must have their chores an homework done before they can gain the wii password as well. We dot limit time on reading though. They can do that a much as they like.

ETA: my boys are 13, 7, and 5. They are all held to the same rules.

[Michelle_M]

Thank you so much for all of the input and your personal POVs.

I was thinking something like this:
DS1 (7yrs old and in school)- He can have 30 minutes when he gets home from school, then he has to do his homework. And then maybe he can have an additional hour in the evening if he wants it.

DS2 (5yrs old) - Give him 2 hours a day (just because he's home all day), but make sure it's broken up so he can have 1 hour during the day time, and then 1 hour in the evening so that he won't feel deprived when DS1 is using his.

If they want to look at a book on it, they can do that and it won't count towards their hour, as long as I know for sure they are reading books on it.

I DO have a Nook Simple Touch that *I* use for reading, but kids books just loose some of their fun if you can't see the pictures in color.

And of course time can be lost for bad behavior. Like, if DS1 comes home with a bad mark in his folder for that day, he'll loose some (if not all) of his tablet time. Or if DS2 lies to me, he'll loose time for that.

Or maybe we'll start with no time limits, and then impose them if we feel it's necessary.

I don't think we'd have a timing problem with DS1, but I think DS2 will want to be on it all the time... so...

Anyway, thanks for all of the great ideas to try!

God bless!

[Michelle_M]

Originally Posted by TinaDeanette We have a 1 hour limit on playing games (even educational ones). Thy must have their chores an homework done before they can gain the wii password as well. We dot limit time on reading though. They can do that a much as they like. ETA: my boys are 13, 7, and 5. They are all held to the same rules.

Thanks. Very helpful as my two older kids are 7 and 5.

God bless!

[momtojande]

At first we had limits. At this point we don't really, because they don't abuse it. They may get really interested for awhile, and then forget it for a couple weeks.

Also, sometimes it's hard with a tablet to distinguish what's a "video game" and what's something else. If they're playing Battleship or a memory match game on the iPad, I don't see that it's any different than playing a board game or card game version. (Except there aren't any pieces to lose!) Or DD gets into a drawing app sometimes. Or DS plays "I'm Sexy and I Know It" over and over while perfecting his dance moves. So even when they're on it, it's not necessarily the kind of activities that I think need to be restricted.

Now DSS on the other hand, the summer he was 9, I had restrictions for him. I think he'd get 1 hour a day? Something like that. Then additional time could be earned, minute for minute, by doing chores. So he could spend 15 minutes scooping up dog poop and get 15 more minutes on the games. It actually worked out really well; he didn't seem to mind.

[Michelle_M]

Originally Posted by momtojande Or DS plays "I'm Sexy and I Know It" over and over while perfecting his dance moves.

OMG That's stinkin' hilarious! How old is he?



God bless!

[momtojande]

Originally Posted by Michelle_M OMG That's stinkin' hilarious! How old is he? God bless!

7. Every time the lyrics say "I work out" he drops and does push ups. His future wife someday will enjoy the videos.