So, my kid brother, who’s 17, has been visiting me, my wife and kids. My son, Blake, loves Uncle Zach and loves spending time with him, which is great. Zach has brought some video games for him and Blake to play while he’s here. The games are appropriate and fun for him, and I enjoy playing with them sometimes. But, I want to make sure he is outside and does physical activities so that he’s healthy. My question to all you is: What is a reasonable amount of time for my son to play video games, daily?
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1Are you asking in general, or simply for the time that Zach is there? Because if he's just visiting for a few days and the video games disappear with him when he leaves, the amount of time they spend playing video games doesn't really matter.– Pascal remembers MonicaJun 28, 2018 at 0:31
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@Pascal: Oh, the games are actually gifts be bought for Blake, so he’ll keep them after Zach leaves– Bryan RiversJun 28, 2018 at 0:34
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Possible duplicate of How much time is too much time playing educational computer games?– Pascal remembers MonicaJun 28, 2018 at 0:37
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Keep in mind that "video games" is grouping several very different things together. For example, a digital version of a board game played with family on the living room TV is a significantly different experience from sitting alone in a room playing a shooter. I would judge this by the content of the game and the context in which it happens, not just as an absolute time limit for any kind of video game. (The continued question would then also be why you're distinguishing between videogames and TV time, as the core issue is the same either way)– FlaterMar 27 at 4:53
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3 Answers
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated recommendation is one hour per day for children over 2 years old. (Yes, it’s the same for a three year old and an eight year old.). Lurie Children’s Hospital has a blog post that discusses the new recommendations and shows some additional resources you can use. Screen time includes video games, television, and any other time spent in front of a screen.
In my personal opinion this is appropriate for general screen time; a child who has a particular hobby or skill that involves a computer or tablet may reasonably exceed this when doing productive activities (I.e. programming, drawing on a tablet, writing stories, etc.), but gaming should still be limited at least until teenage years if not further.
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2I'd like to know how you keep children occupied when that time limit expires. Busy parents rely on the digital babysitters, 1 hour....C'mon a kids movie isn't even 1 hour.– user20343Jun 28, 2018 at 19:30
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@user20343: Recommendations do not take into account personal situations. As with many things, exceptions exist. For example your child is not going to otherwise be exercising on a long distance flight, so the advice does not necessarily apply (or not in the exact same way). However, I would offer the thought that not knowing how to entertain your children without the aid of TV might indicate that the parent's parental abilities/repertoire needs to expand. I cannot conclusively judge anyone here but it is a valid question to at least consider.– FlaterMar 27 at 4:57
The National Institutes of Health recommends that screen time in total be limited to about 2 hours every day. In a part of their effort to increase awareness of potential health issues in children related to too much screen time, they have started the We Can program. Among other tools they have available, they offer a downloadable/printable chart that helps you begin an initial assessment of how much screen time your child gets over the course of the week.
I recommend starting with that chart, figuring out the average time spent on playing games or watching TV and then figure out from there how to reduce it down to an acceptable time for both you and your child.
I'd also like to mention that when approaching this topic with your son, if you believe it is an issue, that you should also be mindful of your screen time with your devices if you have some. My wife and I have been asked more than once why it's OK for us to check our phones continually despite setting restrictions on our son for his limited screen time. Granted we may be doing work or other non-recreational business on our phones but remember that perception is everything.
answered Jun 28, 2018 at 1:34
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3"...you should also be mindful of your screen time with your devices if you have some..." Such an important message!! Jun 28, 2018 at 1:56
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@anongoodnurse: I consider myself reserved when it comes to tech. No more than 3 and a half hours a day, not counting work Jun 28, 2018 at 2:05
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@BryanRivers - In my opinion, that's a lot of screen time, even for an adult. Obviously, people are free to do with their time what they want, but the message you send your son will be very mixed. As Joe's source blog stated, “It’s essential for parents to be good role models...." Jun 28, 2018 at 15:16
Another option would be that your son has to associate the amount of time playing the video game to an equal (or multiple of an) amount of some other constructive activity, e.g. for every hour of video games, they have to spend an hour reading and/or playing outside and/or doing extra chores (in addition to their daily duties; children shouldn't expect an reward for things that they're expected to do).
