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I will agree that there are some benefits to video games, there are many other negatives. Impulsivity, aggression, addictive behavior, taking time from more constructive hands on play, loss in social abilities, "gimme now" syndrome, loss of life skills like tolerating being bored.
That said, I play video games some and so do my kids. I am not going to fool myself into thinking they are good for them though.
All, according to the articles posted, are things that are greatly exaggerated or only seen in those individuals who are "extreme gamers" where the gaming is virtually their only activity. Among that cohort however we also have the question related to whether there are other conditions at play such as depression or other social anxieties or issues.
Show me a kid who spends 10 hours a day building Lego's and I'll show you someone who exhibits many of these negative traits.
Yeah, not of those issues happened before electronics came around and all . My cousin for example has a granola Mother who didn't allow much in the way of tv *if any tbh* or video games. She was also a self absorbed little snot until she hit about 10. All of those problems are related to other things and not isolated on moderate game playing. What you are doing is what parents of every generation do. The proverbial "Back in my day we were happy to play with....." saying that is usually linked to the "issues" of youth problems.
I know for us, im not saying my kids are angels with a tv limit or terrible without. Im saying any negative behaviors were considerably less often and more controlled WITH the limit.
I'm pretty sure if their friends came over at 8 in the morning begging to play before school you would have the same issues.
...or if they decided to play with Lego's, color, do a puzzle, etc.
The morning thing seems to be age dependent, at least in my experience. We hit a point a year or two ago where the TV had to be off no matter what in the mornings or nothing got done. Now, it doesn't seem to matter to them.
Yet this wasn't about physical exercise, this was about Video games versus toys (both very low calorie burning activities).
Burning calories isn't all that's important. Children develop fine motor skills using toys. Not the same fine motor skills that are needed to play a video game or use a tablet. Coloring with crayons helps them develop the motor skills for writing. Building things with building blocks helps in other ways. There are many advantages to many different toys. Limiting low calorie burning activities to video games limits to one type of development. It's ideal for children to develop in all areas. I'm not saying video games and tablets are bad for children, but it's certainly not healthy if they completely replace traditional toys.
I know for us, im not saying my kids are angels with a tv limit or terrible without. Im saying any negative behaviors were considerably less often and more controlled WITH the limit.
Perhaps the difference is less in the screen itself and more in the structure the limit provides?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird
Screens change my kids. I see it clearly. They are moody, addicted, single focused, demanding, lazy and bored.
The study basically stated that kids who already trend towards such behaviors have them negatively enhanced by spending large amounts of time playing video games.
With some children that is the case. Not all children are good with unlimited screen time or unlimited anything for that matter. You can't paint every person with broad brush strokes. That study is not a bad one. However, it also states that the best predictor for attention issues was the total amount of screen time each child had.
Burning calories isn't all that's important. Children develop fine motor skills using toys. Not the same fine motor skills that are needed to play a video game or use a tablet. Coloring with crayons helps them develop the motor skills for writing. Building things with building blocks helps in other ways. There are many advantages to many different toys. Limiting low calorie burning activities to video games limits to one type of development. It's ideal for children to develop in all areas. I'm not saying video games and tablets are bad for children, but it's certainly not healthy if they completely replace traditional toys.
I agree completely . Striking a balance with anything is key.
I know for us, im not saying my kids are angels with a tv limit or terrible without. Im saying any negative behaviors were considerably less often and more controlled WITH the limit.
And there is nothing wrong with that. Each child is going to be different with that sort of stuff so you have to work out what works best for your family.
We limit "media time" to 30mins a day. Our kids are 9,8 and 6. Thats choosing between a TV show OR tablet time. Not both.
Why? Why would we do this? Because I was the parent that had Disney and Nick and the TV was the babysitter. Grumpy kid? Ill bribe you with Dora. Sick kid? Ill sit you down for Mickey Mouse. Fighting with your sibling? Lets watch a movie together. They werent learning much of anything. Their behavior really was worse. Theyd wonder around bored and say " theres nothing to do".
and then I decided a TV fast was in order. So we cut the cord. Suddenly we had children who had all kinds of things they found to do and yes they complained about TV and yes i wanted to pull my hair out at times.
Then we re-introduced the time limit. All is balanced now. May not work for some or all but it works for us. Even on the weekends, its 30mins. So what do they do instead? Play Legos, Barbies, Ponies, Draw, Play outside, School work, on and on.
and we strictly monitor what they play and watch. Right now my 8yr old wants to watch Power Rangers and thats pushing it for me.
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So OP, from MY experience, you could try limiting and see what happens.
Smart! That's how we limited usage too. We also never dedicated a tv to a game system. The system was hooked up to the family room set, which made it easy to monitor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird
I took away screens in the mornings and now the kids get ready for school without trouble. When I have taken away screen time after school, they are far better behaved and they play...like real kids. I am going to take it away next week and see how it changes things.
We did the same thing, no electronics in the morning. It made life so much easier when we did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucidkitty
I'm pretty sure if their friends came over at 8 in the morning begging to play before school or they were engrossed in a novel you would have the same issues. That seems to be a more of an issue of kids staying on task than anything.
Sorry LK, but since you aren't a parent, you aren't approaching the issue from the same place we are. Any distraction can get a kid off task. Some are more worthwhile than others, and I lump a good book in there.
Until an elementary teacher chimes in and posts something along the lines of "kids who have hours of screen time each day are better prepared for a school and have less trouble paying attention in class", I'll remain skeptical of the claims that hours of passive entertainment are beneficial.
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. My cousin for example has a granola Mother who didn't allow much in the way of tv *if any tbh* or video games. She was also a self absorbed little snot until she hit about 10. All of those problems are related to other things and not isolated on moderate game playing. What you are doing is what parents of every generation do. The proverbial "Back in my day we were happy to play with....." saying that is usually linked to the "issues" of youth problems.
. Striking a balance with anything is key.
