Ten Ton Hamster

How much time should kids spend gaming?

This is a loaded question I know. Many parents use items such as the television and computer games and other gaming consoles as a babysitter for their children. Some parents completely ban those types of electronics from their homes.

For me personally, I think that gaming should be approached much like everything thing else in life. Everything in moderation.

Gaming can be a great tool for parents. Have your children earn time. Give them more time for getting good grades at school, or for being especially helpful around the house. That’s the beauty of a reward system, you can fashion it so it fits well in to your family’s lifestyle. Of course you can use it as a deterrent too. Not pulling the grades that they should be? Then take away time. This also helps give your children a sense of responsibility. If they want that extra time then they need to step up to earn it.

My son probably spends an average of 2-3 hours on the computer on school days. It’s a great way for him to release the stress from the school day, so normally that’s the first thing he does once he gets home. After about an hour of playing, it's time to do homework. He knows that until he finishes his assignments for the day, he won’t be back on the computer, so this also gives him more initiative to finish tasks, especially those that he doesn’t particularly want to do.

I also ban all electronics in the house (including for myself, that’s only fair) for the last hour before his bedtime. Doing more relaxing things, like reading or playing a board or word game with your child, helps them to calm down and fall asleep faster and more soundly.

One thing that is becoming alarming is the link between the time spent in front of the TV and computer screens and obesity. It is important to make sure your children get away from all things electronic and get them outside to play every day. This is a bigger factor in teens than preteens, but its still a good habit to instill at an early age.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issues this guideline: children ages two and up should have no more than two hours of television or computer screen time per day. Children under the age of two should have none. This is just a guideline, and I still believe that moderation is the key and finding what schedule fits best to your own lifestyle.

It can be difficult to monitor how much time your child is on the computer, especially if you allow your child to have their computer in their room. One great tool that is now available are computer software programs that limit how much computer time your children can have. One such program, called Kidswatch, can limit Internet surfing, chatting and game playing to a time and duration that works for each child. You can also create computer curfews, such as no playing past 9 PM.

What are your guidelines at home for allowing computer gaming time? We’d love to hear from you.

Please visit our forums and let us know what works best for your children.