Are we the only ones limiting video game screen time?
Other households often allow much more access, making parents feel like the overly strict house when they enforce limits like one hour a day. This peer pressure and uncertainty over what is normal makes it difficult to judge whether restrictions are reasonable.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Allowing an hour of game time per day
- 2Not placing limits on playing video games if children finish their school and sports responsibilities
- 3Moving computers to public or shared areas of the home
- 4Uninstalling games or removing them during the week
- 5Using parental control software like Microsoft Family or network filters
- 6Sitting with the child or supervising them nearby while they work
- 7Using separate devices specifically designated for homework versus gaming
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Is everyone letting their kids play video games whenever they want? Are we the strict house for just allowing an hour a day? The kids say everyone plays all the time in other homes. Wondering how true that is.”source ↗
“We do an hour of game time as well. The kids come ask if they can play and they know when it’s time to turn off the Xbox.”source ↗
“My 14-year-old son keeps playing video games when he is supposed to be doing homework, and I’m getting really frustrated and don’t know how to handle it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2Why do hangouts always start right at kid bedtime?