Screen time is a major source of debate in our house. At some point my husband and I decided 30 minutes of screen time a day was appropriate for the kids. That used to mean one episode of Blue's Clues or Dora the Explorer. Now it means 30 minutes of video games. So I went out and bought a timer so we would know when the 30 minutes is up. The kids claim the 30 minute time limit is totally unfair. John proposed letting readers of our blog vote for a winner but I pointed out I have a Facebook account (with which I could recruit voters) and he doesn't. In the end we agreed to listen with open minds to comments in response to this post. Here are the statements of our positions. I'm going first since I know the password for our blog account.
Randi's Position: 30 minutes a day is enough
I recognize the demands of elementary school are stressful. There are timed math tests, spelling tests, homework, band rehearsal, cub scouts, taekwondo, football and baseball. There are also beds to be made, clothes to be picked up off the floor and tables to be set and cleared. I get it - a kid needs some time to relax and unwind by playing some video games. But I have four fundamental issues that come up when I try to enforce the 30 minute policy;
1) "Wait, I'm not done yet!"
The 30 minute timer beeps. I hear it and I'm fairly sure the kids can hear it. But I look over and see they're still playing. I ask why they haven't stopped if the timer is beeping. They tell me they need more time to finish their current race or save their progress or some other excuse. Shouldn't 30 minutes mean 30 minutes and not 30 minutes plus the time it takes to finish whatever you started at 29 minutes and 59 seconds?
We had an ingenious parental control program for Windows on the PC called Times Up Kidz! We used it when John was playing Skylanders Spyro's Adventure. You can set the amount of time per day for each kid. The program runs in the background while they're playing and gives them a warning when there are 5 minutes left. Too bad there isn't a similar program for Nintendo or the iPad.
2) The Time Warp
Here's a little math problem for you. If your child started playing video games at 4:00 PM and it is now 4:30 PM, how can they have 15 minutes left on the timer? Apparently the answer is you don't count the time it takes to download a new game, to switch between games or to wait for a program to load in the 30 minute total. When they're not actually playing a game they pause the timer. I must applaud their creativity but I don't buy it.
3) Grouchy Gamers
Call me crazy but you'd think the kids would have so much fun playing video games they'd be deliriously happy at the end of their 30 minutes. Hah! Guess again. They're mad they have to stop. They complain and they whine and they make accusations about my parenting abilities. Is there any way to win this battle?
4) Computer Homework
I know the teachers mean well but sometimes the kids are assigned computer homework. It's all innocent enough. Nathan might have to read a book and take a quiz on Raz-Kids or Johnny might have to do some math problems on IXL. Should their computer homework count as part of their 30 minutes of screen time? The biggest problem here is when the kids have lost computer time for bad behavior and then they are assigned computer homework. Does the teacher get to override my authority?
By the way, I'm not totally hardcore about the 30 minute a day limit. My kids know they get extra time on long car rides or plane trips. They actually look forward to being stuck in their seat for hours at a time for this very reason. Also, I'm making an exception so John can be encouraged to write his blog entries without using up his 30 minute limit. Shouldn't these exceptions qualify me for Mom of the Year?
John's position:
I think we should get at least 45 minutes on weekends because it's supposed to be a time to unwind.My mom is saying that she thought I would go for 2 hours. Honestly, can you believe it? I'm fine with the 30 minutes on weekdays, but I don't think loading time and downloading more games should count because we're not playing games. I don't think computer homework should count because sometimes my teacher says,"30 minutes IXL", and then we would have wasted all our time doing homework and wouldn't get to play any video games.
We hope you will take some time and post your opinion.
6 comments:
I personally think as long as it maxes to 2 hours a day average it is ok. That is true only if the person is getting plenty of physical activity in their daily life. So I'd vote with John. Gaming is not the same as TV. Yes, mindless tv is harmful. But gaming involves the mind and body and is correlated to better academic performance. It teaches a lot, in particular problem solving - just learning how to play some games can be challenging. And thirty minutes is barely enough time to do anything meaningful. The limits should be on a weekly basis, not daily. Maybe an hour or two one day, and then none on another day.
30 minutes is plenty of time. However, it should be 30 regular minutes and not 30 football minutes. It should also end right when the timer goes off. If the puck goes into the net after the red light goes on, it doesn't count. Neither does the ball that goes into the basket after clock runs out. Load up and download time should also be included in the 30 minutes. If you want to download something, you better figure that into your plans before you get started. This way you learn to plan ahead. Planning ahead is essential for most everything that we do in life.
However, I don't think that homework time should count against the 30 minutes. That is work time, not leisure time. But there better not be any side trips to gaming land while you are supposed to be concentrating on homework.
30 minutes a day is 3 1/2 hours a week. That seems like enough time to play around. Besides, that 30 minmutes doesn't include reading time, sports time or running around in the yard. Plus, Johnny gets extra bonus time on long car rides and pane trips.
Maybe Uncle HOW will be more sympathetic :)
From James Hughes (age 11): I understand the thought, but 30 minutes is waaayyyy too little. It should be at least an hour. Downloading games, switching games, and homework should not count. Getting grouchy is understandable because if I interrupted you reading a book or doing something else you really like, you'd be grouchy too. When time is up, you should get off unless you're right at the end of a game or saving progress.
From Jill Hughes (age 9): I think that homework should not count toward the 30 minutes. I think it should be 35 minutes on the weekend. You can play other games while some games are downloading, so that should count. They should be happy when game time is over so they can read or study and not rot their brains. They should be granted 1 extra minute to finish what they are doing.
Way to go, David. I totally agree with your comments which pleases me as we are of different generations. When the time is up, and I believe that the parent determines this, then the game ends. Period. Downloading counts, homework doesn't. If you don't want to be caught mid-game when the time ends, plan ahead. This is a good skill to learn. All this being said, it doesn't compute with me that video games are relaxing. The ones I've seen the boys play all seem pretty stressful.
I think Johnny should get an hour a day on weekends, and 45 minutes during the week. He gets good grades and then I could play mindcraft with him more often. School is stressful and it gives us time to unwind
Noah Spillane
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