What would be healthy amount of time for tv/video games/computer usage per day for a child?
I have 10 and 14 year old stepsons.They "never" do anything with friends,and I dont even know if they have "any".They are not involved with any extracurricular activities,and when they have been,they have been "very" limited,and they have never stuck with them "very"long.They get a minimal amount of physical activity and have free reign over the food and snacks of the house,95% of which are nothing but junk.They prefer to stay inside,and spend upwards of 5 hours a day in front of xbox,tv and computer on school days.On weekends and vacations,even in the summer,they wake up at 7/ 8:00 in the morning,and rotate between tv, computer,and video games until they go to bed usually by 10 pm,unless my wife forces them to ride somewhere with her once or twice a week for a couple hours.Is this acceptable? My wife says its completely normal and she sees nothing wrong.If i say she should try to limit this usage to a degree,i get lashed out at called a psycho just for merely mentioning it.Would appreciate some advice.
I know the feeling! My SKs get (nearly) free reign of the TV/computer/VG when they’re here which sucks because they aren’t here that often! We’ve been discussing limiting it and making them do *other* things, though - because sitting here watching them glued to screens for their entire visit isn’t what either of us consider "quality family time".
I was thinking for their evening visits that 1 hr combined for computer & video game usage, and 1-2 hrs most for TV, or *one* movie, whichever is shorter. (So if they wanted to check their e-mail and then have a "family movie night" after dinner or whatever.)
All-day engagments (such as weekends) I was thinking 2 hrs combined for computer/video game usage, maybe one before dinner and one after dinner. With 2-3 hrs TV (movies included) MAXIMUM. Seriously - bring some toys over, read a book, color, do crafts, play with the dog, go to the park, spend time with friends, play in the back yard, board games, card games - anything but sitting in front of a screen all day!!!
1 hour a day
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Comment by Tanqueray — July 29, 2010 @ 1:41 am
Not having friends is their own fault. Don’t interfere with that part in their lives. Stop buying junk food. Cook them real, non-processed food. 5 hours a day is great. Don’t limit that. Their marks will drop if you do. They will go insanely bored. My changes make it acceptable.
Edit: Do not listen to Tanqueray. She has no idea what she is talking about. She didn’t grow up playing video games. She doesn’t know what it’s like to not play video games. It’s like dependence on coffee; you need it to survive. 1 hour a day would cause them to suicide. Trust me.
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Comment by BLiNdZoRz — July 29, 2010 @ 2:29 am
I’m a 13 year old girl, and your stepsons sound almost exactly like me. Give them something healthy once in a while, like some apple slices or something between their "junk" food. Not having friends is their own personal choice, so I don’t really know what to do about that. Playing video games and watching TV isn’t bad as long as they don’t sit too close to the screen and their eyes aren’t getting damaged.
I don’t think you should limit the game playing more than 5 hours, anything less than that gets me extremely bored. It’s not like they have much work to do during summer break, right? And 1 hour would be a drastic change, they wouldn’t be used to it.
I really don’t see anything wrong with it, though. It’s summer time; a time to relax and rest until the 10 months of school work awaiting you at the end.
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Comment by Ice Ninja — July 29, 2010 @ 3:10 am
I know the feeling! My SKs get (nearly) free reign of the TV/computer/VG when they’re here which sucks because they aren’t here that often! We’ve been discussing limiting it and making them do *other* things, though - because sitting here watching them glued to screens for their entire visit isn’t what either of us consider "quality family time".
I was thinking for their evening visits that 1 hr combined for computer & video game usage, and 1-2 hrs most for TV, or *one* movie, whichever is shorter. (So if they wanted to check their e-mail and then have a "family movie night" after dinner or whatever.)
All-day engagments (such as weekends) I was thinking 2 hrs combined for computer/video game usage, maybe one before dinner and one after dinner. With 2-3 hrs TV (movies included) MAXIMUM. Seriously - bring some toys over, read a book, color, do crafts, play with the dog, go to the park, spend time with friends, play in the back yard, board games, card games - anything but sitting in front of a screen all day!!!
References :
Comment by Anya's Mom — July 29, 2010 @ 3:48 am