TV Time and Computer

my kids get appx 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day on electronics. sometimes they don't use it all....... they are 8 and 11. that includes comp, ds and tv

My boys are 7 and 13. TV isn't an issue in our house. My husband watches a ton, but always late at night. The boys and I aren't TV watchers, so I don't have rules about it. We have music on often, but not TV.

Electronics however are a big issue. During the summer (now), we're limiting all electronics - video games, itouch, computer, etc. - to 2 hours a day. Each boy has a timer and they are honest about it.

They are so much more imaginative when they aren't on the computer or video games. It's amazing the things they come up with to do on their own. My boys play well together, but with their age differences, they play alone a lot also. Right now, my 7 year old has quite an elaborate adventure going on with his lego people, and my 13 year old is at a friend's house. We don't live in a neighborhood, so I understand the issue of no neighbor kids. The beauty of that is that you can bring in the friends that you want to have around. :)

My 8 (almost 9) year old son, is addicted to the computer, and would play it, seriously all day if I let him.
In school time, he is allowed 1 hour a day, holdidays, it is 2 hours.
He will turn it on the minute he gets up, and plays his 2 hours. Then he has to go and play - if he wants to play more, he has to do chores, but he can only play again after 6pm, so he can play and use his mind and body.
I put the tv on for my 3 year old when I clean, so he will watch kid programs as well.
combined amount of tv and computer is probably 3 or 4 hours.
I honestly don't understand people letting their kids play computer or watch tv for only 30 mins - most games take you that long to just turn on, and get a little playing done. and a lot of programs are longer than that.
Try to have a healthy balance - we have no kids my sons age around either - he has his sister, but he doesn't play with her that much because she is so young. Also it is too hot to play outside for very long at the moment (105 degrees) so unless we are swimming, there is not much outdoor play, which is why I allow more screen time during the summer.

My daughter is 10. Her teachers require her to do some school research online for certain projects so at those times I don't count that toward "screen time" during those periods. It's not a ton of time she has to spend online for school but it does add up in some weeks, still, it's all school-related.

I don't have a hard and fast time limit but it's very limited anyway -- she sees maybe an hour of TV during the week (total, not daily) and that's only if she has had a tough day with a lot of schoolwork and it's a reward. On the weekends, maybe two hours total, depending on what else we're doing. She might spend another hour on the computer for games but not weekly, maybe two or three times a month.

You note that your son "is an only child, so no siblings to play with and no neighbor kids on our block." How's that related to the screen time question? Does he say to you that since there's "no one to play with" he should be allowed to watch more TV and play more computer games? He can read, get a hobby he can do himself or with his parents, etc., and find other things to do. Is he in scouts, sports, arts, etc.? Those are mostly group activities, but if he works on scout badges on his own time, or practicing his tae kwon do forms at home, or taking photos outside because he likes photography, that beats screen time. And like you, we don't have neighbor kids where my child can just run out the door and play with them, and she is also an only child, so to see friends to play it's more effort -- we have to arrange play dates because everyone's so busy you can't just say, send so-and-so over to play right now. But it's worth it to arrange the dates (though they're never enough!).

OUr son is 10 and since he was 9, we allowed video games on Mon. and Wed., computer games on Tues. and Thurs. and choice on Friday - each day 1/2 hour and he has to time himself. The weekends we allow about an hour. Our son gets very obsessed with the games, so we have to watch his behaviour. We noticed when we took the games away because of behaviour, he was so bored and couldn't do puzzles, board games, etc. because they were too slow. Video/computer games do horrible things to their brains, I have read research on it and I wish they were never invented. We allow educational games on the computer and we never allow violent video/computer games, like "Black Ops".

My daughter is 12... she gets about an hour of computer time in the mornings (is a very early riser and get up before the rest of us 95% of the time) and sometime about 30-60 minutes of tv time in the afternoon if all her homework is done. sooo about 2 hours per day tv and computer - and has since she was about 9yo - maybe a bit younger.

My 9yo son get much less... about an hour total tv and computer combined.

Really the only reason for the differences between the two is that my son needs much more sleep then my daughter. Always has. He needs closer to 10 hours sleep... she only need 8-9 hours. but usually during the week, I try not to allow more then an hour of both.

Weekends are different. I work the afternoons/evenings so as long as homework is done the kids usually have a good hour or two per day. But we do try to limit it - i just sometimes wonder about the time while i'm at work.
Hope that helps.

I'd suggest about 7 hours per week and let him decide how to use it, but no more than two hours per day. So, if he uses 1.5 hours on Monday, he's down to 5.5 hours for the rest of the week, and so on.

Good luck.

I am pretty much a bad parent I guess because our TV is on all the time, the kids both have TV;'s in their rooms and they're on all the time too, the kids also have DVD players attached to the TV in their rooms.

The girl has a computer in her room but it is not internet accessible though. She can play kids games on it.

I can honestly say my friend limits her kids TV and computer stuff and when they are at someone's house for a play date and the TV is on the just sit, slack eyed, mouth open and hanging, just staring at the TV. It is rather funny to see. They are total Zombies.

On the other hand my kiddos hardly ever sit and watch their TV's, they are on all the time and they occasionally sit and watch an entire show but hardly ever. They have unlimited access so they aren't drawn in like my friends kids are. I don't mind at all. I like having the TV on when I am cooking, or doing laundry, or sewing, etc...I am not sitting watching hour after hour after hour even though the TV is on and I am following the programs. I am being active and often working for a customer.

I think it depends on the person too. I haven't had any kids that just sat and watched hour after hour so I can't say how they act. I think once kids get enough they just stop being drawn in and it looses it's attraction for them.

our house rule is a few hours on the weekend (combined).