How much video-game/computer-game time do your kids get?
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When my son was in upper (4/5) ES and Middle School. I set the timer on his Xbox for 16 hr a week.
He could earn extra time by doing extra chores, getting a A on a test, etc. If he had a friend doing a sleep over i would also add extra time. The Xbox has off time you can set. (and on time). So he could not get up in middle of night and play, and there was a defined end time at night.
That's not embarrassing. Video game usage or random internet surfing cannot be harmful.
I volunteer in my kids' classrooms and am amazed at how distracted some kids. I didn't remember kids being as bad when I was younger so I asked 4 veteran teachers if they've seen a change over the years. Without hesitating, they all said "Oh yes!" I then asked what they thought was the reason for this. They all attributed the inability to focus, in large part, to excessive gaming, etc.
My 9 y.o. son is allowed to play on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. We say one-hour only but in all honesty it often gets stretched a bit (to maybe 2) if a friend is over or hubby plays with him.
If it were up to him, he'd play all day. He is not one of those kids who can walk away from it. Sigh...
Don't worry, Obamacare will make them take multiple drugs to get over this "addiction". But, seriously, they get their homework done & get to bed at a reasonable time to get up for school, why should it matter? It's an escape, just like any major hobby, strong interest, or drug, that stops them from knowing something about everything, which might not be possible anyway.
Of course, the parents #1 job is don't let your kids do something where there is a significant chance of death. Protection for things beyond this may cause major disagreements. Should parents act like police officers, with 1,000 more "crimes" added? What if parents allow their kids to do anything they want? Could go to jail, be dead, or not be in trouble at all, depending on what they wanted to do.
Going to school is like a full-time job that pays nothing, & some classes might be OK. Other classes may seem boring & irrelevant. Don't they deserve some time for activities of their own choosing? I know I can't tell parents to be more or less permissive, but if they have some specific concerns, I can say how I see it & they can ignore me or not. Best wishes.
I volunteer in my kids' classrooms and am amazed at how distracted some kids. I didn't remember kids being as bad when I was younger so I asked 4 veteran teachers if they've seen a change over the years. Without hesitating, they all said "Oh yes!" I then asked what they thought was the reason for this. They all attributed the inability to focus, in large part, to excessive gaming, etc.
I think gaming would force focus, at least if they wanted to be good at that. Maybe many kids have undiagnosed health problems, or problems caused by prescription pills, pollution, divorce or parents fighting, kids being bullied at home & over the internet. At many schools, 5%-10% or more of the kids are bringing guns, knives, or other weapons in to the schools. Imagine facing death at least 5 days a week! Alcohol or nicotine withdrawal could be a factor & cannabis (marijuana) is mostly good, but some kids use it before school & depending on the person, may get higher or lower grades or no difference.
Some kids even use hard drugs & even "marijuana" dealers might have weapons to protect inventory or cash. Some kids say they even feel in danger walking to or from school. I read about a minister's kid who bought cannabis from people who gave it to him & said he must pay the $75 by a specified future date. The date came, he didn't have the $75, so they killed him!
This wouldn't happen if they or older sibling or parents could buy it for them at Walgreens or Walmart. I'd favor a minimum age at point of purchase only, like it is done in Europe for alcohol & maybe that should be regulated that way here, too. But cannabis kills 0 & alcohol kills 100,000 Americans a year. Pills kill 125,000 Americans a year, but are the 1st thing many parents think of if kid has problems.
Excessive gaming being a cause of distraction could be partially right, if the reason it caused distraction was because these kids do not have any real relationship with the parents. Both can just close their doors to relieve their stress of thinking they should have a meaningful conversation or two. Parents may be stressed out about finances/job loss, or other things, so kids might feel they should keep emotions bottled up so they don't feel guilty about adding to their parents stress.
A war mentality is being used on many kids, by many police officers, many parents, school officials. So, the point of all this is the problems go way beyond time spent on video games. Agree or not? Let kids have rights, as long as not seriously dangerous. Parents should have rules, but not go to the point where all it does is create resentment. Homework before games, whatever. Show love if you can. Don't make it a competition to show who is in charge. Open dialogue & teamwork if possible.
I'm sure I haven't considered everything & don't have all the answers. Best wishes.
Why do you even have the TV on during dinner? Isn't that sending a mixed message? It's asking an awful lot of kids who are still pretty young to have a TV on and then expect them to not watch it, even though you are.
We watch CNN Student News on my tablet computer for the first few minutes of dinner and then discuss the day's news events together while we finish our meal.
As for the OP's question, our oldest kids generally have unlimited access to computers, because a lot of their schoolwork is completed and submitted on-line. Our youngest, the "gamer" is allowed to play Friday night and Saturday. Sundays are media-free unless there are extenuating circumstances.
My brother and never had video games growing up. Never had a interest in them.
Guess you don't know what your missing if you never had them in the first place.
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