Gaming is a big part of our children’s lives, but we need to protect our children from excessive screen time with healthy gaming limits.
You don’t want daily battles over console time or meltdowns when a device gets confiscated. Setting boundaries for how much gaming time they’re allowed as part of your daily routine, makes it easier for children to follow the gaming rules without pushing back and kicking off.
Match Limits To Your Child’s Age And Maturity
Your family’s gaming rules need to be chosen so they fit your child’s stage of development. Younger kids (between the ages of 6 and 11) do better with clear, predictable limits and shorter play sessions.
Give them simple rules like 30 minutes after they’ve done their homework, and keep the screens in shared spaces.
For tweens and teens, offer more responsibility and choices. Let them help set the limits, and pick age-appropriate games.
Talk with them about why some games are allowed or blocked, so they can learn to judge the content and time for themselves.
When deciding on the gaming limits, think about the child’s age and maturity, school, sleep and family time needs, the type of game, and how gaming affects their mood and behavior.
Try and be specific about time and the content. Instead of saying “play less”, say “no gaming after 9pm”, and adjust the rules as your child grows.
You can always revisit limits after a few weeks and after big changes, like them starting a new school year.
Agree On Weekday And Weekend Rules That Stay Consistent
Start off by setting clear and simple gaming rules for weekdays and weekends, so your child knows what to expect. You can print out the rules, and place on somewhere like the fridge, so everyone can see them.
Keep weekday rules stricter on school nights; homework, chores and their sleep must come first.
You can give your children more flexibility at the weekends, but still set them a firm maximum each day. Give them extra time as a reward for finishes tasks, or good behavior, to teach balance and support their healthy gaming habits.
When you’re making your rules, let your child be involved. If they help to choose the rules, they’re more likely to follow them.
Use parental control tools within the games and platforms, to make the rules easier to manage. Many apps will let you schedule playtime, pause access and track their screen time.
Use A Simple Plan For Transitions And Stopping Time
Make the transitions clear and predictable, so your children always know when their screen time is going to end.
Use a short routine, like a 5-minute warning, one final round, and one calm activity. Repeat this routine, so it’ll become part of your family’s daily routine.
You can use tools to keep it simple, like a visible timer, an alarm tone or a special song to signal when it’s stop time. Put some screen time limits on their devices, when possible, so you don’t always have to enforce them yourself.
When they’re aware of how long they have left on their screens, the chance of a meltdown is reduced. Keep rules short and consistent across all devices for each parent or caregiver.
Consistency will help your children to learn the routine, and accept their screen time limits without testing every day.