So in this being an E-Sports Coach and gamer myself. I have read the steadies and this is more of a personal/Family choice. However as long as they are getting good grades, do come out of their rooms, do their chores, and other family activities and get outside and be active I can not fault my players or my oldest daughter who is and E-Sports Athlete as well.

Don’t hate video games. That is not the answer in this. You never know you might have a future AI developer or Cyber Security Expert or even a Drone Pilot. However moderation is key.

side note i have 5 daughters who are all Technerds in their own right, due to me being in the IT field for over 25yrs. We game as a family, and the 14, and 12yr old are Fortnite Champions in their leagues here where we live and they are still social and again moderation.

Hi, we give our 8 year old Screentime. 5 Hours a week. Monday to friday an half an hour, saturday one and a half and sunday 1. If behaves badly we will take some time away. It works because he knows how long he can see and usually does not bug more about it.

Anna 🙂

I hear you about video games too! And screen time in general. If I could remake the decision to let my kids ever touch my tablet or have game systems, I would probably say no. But on the flip side, it is where we are… right? Technology is everywhere and isn’t going anywhere. So I continue to think about how to teach our kids to be responsible with the access they have and earn additional access through maturity and responsibility.

One of the hardest things we have learned is that if our kids are going to have access to screens, we also have to be willing to remove that access if it becomes a problem. (Be the mean parent!) And make them earn the privilege of using those devices back over time. It is a shift we are still in the midst of with our younger kids… helping them understand that having a tablet or an iPhone is not a right, it is an earned privilege.

We really push the kids to make real connections with people and not spend so much time plugged in. At some point in their futures, they are going to have to live and work around people outside our family. I want them to have the skills to navigate that. Being too plugged in seems to limit the opportunities to deepen people skills. Don’t think the irony is lost on me that most of my job is online… My kids like to remind me of that. But I hope that creating a foundation of character and values that are based on real things, technology is something that will become a tool to be used, not something that controls their lives!

I’d love to hear more about where you are and how your summer is going! – Cynthia