Video game time limits

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Hi all. Yes, in the parent's forum, but I would like all types of input please! All ages welcome.

OK - here it is...just how much of a daily time limit should we put on our kids for playing video games? According to pediatricians, schools, books, etc., a one-hour time limit is suggested. I took that as one hour total (PlayStation, computer). But when playing the games, one hour flies by so fast that you can't accomplish much (ex: build a city, build an amusement park, get to level 10, etc.) He is setting goals and reaching them...ok, it's a video game, but at 6 and 1/2 years old, it is still a good lesson to set a goal. Sometimes you can't get there in an hour. Recently I changed his limit to one hour on PlayStation and one hour on computer. Just doubled his video game time.

I learned somewhere once that the smartest in the world are those in Japan who watch less than one hour of TV a day. But, what about video games? Aren't they the ones who are making millions creating these games? Haven't they invented the Wii (sorry, spelling, uneducated about this stuff). Isn't that the most advanced virtual reality, interactive game on the market? And, the PS3...rRight? Are these creators playing more than 2 hours per day? I bet.

Anyway, if our kids are going to run our world one day, they will have jobs that we can't even imagine...they haven't even been created yet. They will be so advanced technologically, that perhaps the computer...and the video games is the greatest way to allow them to start learning. This is so controversial. Some parents don't even care how long their kids play video games, or don't even know how long. Some parents cut it off at one hour. Other parents don't even own video games.

Since my son is an Aspie, I wonder if this is his "thing of interest." I certainly wouldn't want to limit that. I have seen other topics where an Aspie will say "I wish my parents listened more to me when I talked about my interest." When do these interest start kicking in? At what age?

Oh well. He is quite good at them...the video games...he can do things I can't do. It's embarrassing. hahaha

we started out limiting the kids to 2 hours total on the computer and video games when they were younger. now that they're older ( 13 & 16), we put less limits on them...mostly because they seem to be able to monitor their usage & are now TONS better at taking turns with the computer and video system.

we don't do hard limits for anything.

would you limit how long they can read in a day? how long they can write? how long they can converse with friends? how long they can study?

I just don't understand artificial scarcity. When you set hard limits on things it just makes people crave more of that thing.

My aspie obsessions include video games, and they are a big part of my life. Not bigger than say my family, but pretty big. Video games are the only stim I have ever found that challenges my problem solving and logistical intellegence enough. I write software for a major bank and I can say that video games have been a huge part in me learning to be successful. Nothing I have found can tune your adaptive, rapid problem solving skills like video games.

H!. As far as I am aware pc games and video games and the interest they hold for aspie kids is very strong. I know they are with my 9 year old. Maybe Im a real slack mum, I hope not lol.
My son J doesnt have a set limit, to his play time. It does take awhile to achieve things in most of these games.
J does however have to participate in the house hold he isn't allowed to sit (as he would like) in front of the pc or the playstation/xbox all day. Saying all that these games can be left running all day just so long as he comes up for air from time to time. Personally I find my son a lot less stressed after having spent time playing one of his games. The games allow him to be in control of situation, they allow him to problem solve, they are good for eye hand co ordination, etc.
After he has played for awhile he is 99% of the time a happier child.
They are also great tools to bargain with, lol. "J if you can do this with me, then you can have some time on the pc" or "please stop what you are doing or there will be no playstation for you today" It works wonderfully. I set times for my older son (nt ?) and this created problems, he came to expect his aloted time on the playstation everyday, even when it wasn't really feasible. Not saying this will happen to anyone else, but it did with my oldest.
Actually I took most time limits away, I learnt my lesson the hard way lol even when the oldest was grounded. I learnt instead of your grounded for 3 days etc.... "your grounded until further notice"... lol Im evil I know but he tried harder to get off the grounding and it gave me an "out" in case i too was sick of him being grounded. Any ways sorry I went so far off topic.

yeah that last post really reminded me:

instead of setting a limit, maybe let him know what other expectations you have... your room must be clean, you must sit with the family at dinner, bed time is at ##:00 etc etc.

You wouldn't necessarily have to be negative by saying "only X amounts of games per day" but rather set up reasonable expectations for non-game things he must get accomplished so that he can be free to persue his video game time.

I remember one of my great frustrations as a child was that my mom would get furious and would be all like "get off that #%#$^ video game and do something productive" meanwhile I was thinking... ok my homework is done, my chores are done, what is the problem?

We don't set a limit on time spent on the DS - she knows all chores and homework must be done before any time is spent on "free time". If she's on the DS and I see her get frustrated she takes a break - but usually she only spends an hour at a time on it. I have to limit reading more than anything - if I let her she would stay awake all night reading.

My son is 9 and I've wondered about setting a limit. BUT this
is his current obsession...I have never limited his time on his other obsessions (titanic,pennies..etc) He does need to get his homework done first. Yesterday, he left a notebook at school and it had notes for a test that he was taking today. I had to call another parent and get the info for the test. He was punished from xbox but I did let him play on the computer for a while. (his 1st choice is xbox) It's hard for me to set a time limit because this is what he currently enjoys doing but I do threaten to take it away if he doesn't do the things that are required from him

I don't have a time limit on video game playing. I will take games away as a form of punishment. I play video games too, so I know what's like to get obsessed with one. I'm always around when he's playing a video game and if he starts losing his cool, then the game goes off immediately.

During the school week, the time limits are governed by the natural schedule of things. He likes to watch PBS from 3-6, likes to watch youtube.com. Dinner at 6ish and homework at 7 or 7:30. It's during/after dinner that he fits in the video games and is in bed by 9. Weekends and holidays are a whole other ball game. He plays DS in the mornings and Wii whenever. On Saturday, he'll watch some morning kids' tv shows. and then it's videogames. no limits unless he has a fit where he's violent (verbal or physically)

When he was younger we made a special effort to take him to the park or for a drive, just to air him out. I don't insist on that anymore. But soon will be taking him roller skating, as soon as I brush up myself.

BTW, we subscribe almost solely to Nintendo products. The violence is quite different and unable to be replicated. My husband has a Resident Evil game that is kept hidden away and Pop never sees it on. I know that the teachers I've talked to about video games know absolutely nothing about Nintendo and believe "video games=violence". Just untrue.

Evil Boy would do 12 hours a day with no problem.

We also have been having trouble at school regarding participation. *sigh*.

So the rules go something like this.

If you score 80/100 or better at school, you get an hour
If you participate fully in class A, you get 15 more minutes
If you participate fully in class B, you get 15 more minutes
if you help with cleanup after dinner you get 30 more minutes

this has helped us a lot.

I think that an hour and a half a day, is a good limit. If I can master a game in three months on an hour and a half, a day, so can your kids.

I think an hour on a school day, and maybe 2-3 spread out on a nonschool day is good for a 6 year old. The main concern I'd have about a child that age is the possible effects on his brain development. We know that if a child under 6 doesn't sleep in complete darkness he will need glasses later on so I wonder if there might be something about sitting in front of a flickering gamescreen for a long period of time as well, even if you are playing in a well lighted room.

At this time last year I was taking 9 graduate credits online, working a 20 hour a week online job, and doing volunteer work for an online organization. Plus playing games/socializing online. It didn't hurt me in any, and in fact resulted in my being more social and my "jumping" at chances to socialize in real life, chances I'd normally turn down because I wouldn't want to spend a few hours with people. Of course at 25 years old, I was able to recognize the signs of too much computer time and take a break to read/sleep

The nightlight myth has been disproven. What they found is that myopic parents are prone to using nightlights and have kids that are more likely to be myopic-it's an incidental correlation, not causation.

Thanks for all the feedback. One thing I have noticed when I let him play longer...his behavior improves and his homework gets done easier. There's no battle with the homework. Nice.

Determine the damage they are doing - most games don't do too much damage except to hands (RSI).

Determine what the kids would otherwise be doing?

Are they happy?

Be flexible with limits.

great post. i was kind of wondering the same thing. good to hear all the things that have or have not worked.
i know if i let him my boy would play all day and he's only 4, but he likes it so much and learns alot when playing his leapster, like his times tables., and we play on webkinz it's pur fun time, so we try and squeeze it in before bed. he gets so excited and sometimes wants to flap but has to keep his hands on the buttons to make his moves it's so cute to watch him.
anyways thanks.