Video games are the fastest growing form of media entertainment and are as common for kids today as television was for earlier generations. Every day millions of kids enjoy video games and still have plenty of time for friends, homework, sports, chores, and other activities. Most parents monitor game time so it doesn’t get out of kilter and that’s a good thing since, just as with anything else, moderation is important. Excessive video game play may be a factor in childhood obesity and poor school performance, so it’s critical that parents strike a healthy balance between work, play and exercise.
The ultimate responsibility falls to us parents to set reasonable limits on the amount of time that our children are allowed to play. Once the limits have been set it’s the parents’ job to enforce them. Consistency is important because kids will quickly figure out whether the rules are serious or not.
Here are some tips to keep game time within reasonable and healthy boundaries:
Don’t wait for a problem to develop. We’ve all heard that prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that’s doubly true here. Preventing a problem in the first place is a lot easier than trying to get the genie back into the bottle when game time gets out of control.
Set clear rules about how much, when and what types of games are allowed. Make sure your young gaming enthusiasts are aware of the rules and the consequences for not following them.
Keep track of game play. If your game consoles include time limit controls, use them. If not, then set a timer or use some strategy to keep track of game time. Some parents have had success with posters with check marks, bar graph or “screen time tickets.”
Balance gaming time with “off screen” time. Explain to your young gamer that not all gaming hours allocated for the week will be played in the next day or two. Spacing out gaming time with other activities will produce better results.
Find alternatives to gaming. If gaming has previously filled up a lot of time, it’s important to fill new ‘free’ time with new healthy activities, relationships and engagements. This could be the opportunity the child needed to re-engage in activities he/she previously enjoyed.
Avoid power struggles. Remain calm but be clear that rule violations will have consequences. Remind your child or teen that if he chooses to flaunt the rules then he is choosing the consequence.
In addition to these useful tips, there are several web sites, including GetGameSmart.com and mediawise.org that offer parents downloadable screen time pacts and other ways to develop a healthy, balanced gaming diet.
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