Is it normal for a 14 year old to want so much screen time?

It sounds fairly normal to me. One of DP's younger family members is a few years younger than him and all their spare time is spent on screens. Every evening after school is spent on a console with just a break for dinner, then to bed with tablet. Weekends are console/TV and tablet in bed. Parents joke about it, but this child literally does nothing but school and screentime. It's far too much and very sad that it isn't curbed at that level in such a young child, but it doesn't sound like your DS has an unhealthy/abnormal amount of screentime, and he does other activities in between.

My 14yo DS is the same. He emerges from his room for food, sport and (begrudgingly) school. He might occasionally decamp to the sofa for a Young Sheldon marathon, but only if there's no danger of his sister appearing to exist in the same space.

Yes it’s normal. It might not be ideal but it’s what most of them want to do if they can get anyway with it.

Totally normal. In fact it would be a fairly unusual 14yo who didn't want that much screen time tbh.

Completely normal from experience. If they weren't out they would be on the computer but remember homework was pretty much all online too

He probably finds it the easiest way to entertain himself by watching something. I know I spend my downtime watching tv or looking at my phone.

Perfectly normal.

We’ve put all the cool and interesting things in the whole world within grasp of anyone with a handheld device. We’ve also filled it with games, puzzles, comedy, music, cat videos and any niche interest you can come up with.

What kid wouldn’t want to play in that world?

So you watch a screen then? What's the difference between watching telly and watching YouTube.

You sound a bit anal tbh.

Annoying but normal. Our kids have 2 hrs on phones max a day then it’s blocked.
they both have sport, homework, friends but on a weekend we just kick teens off the tv, and they can either do something with us or go out etc.
We only have one tv, so that helps!

God I spent whole weekends on a screen at that age. Probably would now if I had time too - dying to just sit on the sofa and watch telly for a day! But I am too busy doing fun stuff - guess my teens years in front of a screen didn’t stunt my life too much 😅

As a parent I worry about my kids’ screen time too. But sounds like he has other interests that crowd out screen time?

Why, though?

He sounds like he has a good balance. He goes to school, plays sports, meets his mates - what's the problem with the rest of the time being spent on screens?

I'd wager most adults in the UK spend their evenings on a screen.

Yeah totally normal .. I wouldn’t push him with friends tbh as he might learn/think that friendships are a form of obligation rather than really wanting to do it ..

I have a 14 year old (and 3 older ones). They are all like this. It's highly addictive. It's up to us to limit it. Mine will do other things only because I limit it otherwise it would be all day every day.

They read, teach themselves piano and guitar, bake, invite friends over, play board games, go to the gym, to to the park to play football, talk to us (when really bored), paint their rooms (one of them does this every few months!, they all have jobs and one of them also volunteers in an animal shelter, go to the garden and kick a ball amount, take the dog for a walk, and draw.
They do obviously game and look at shite on YouTube but just not all their down time.
Every time I waiver I hear my friend who is a psychotherapist remind me that many of the young people she sees with huge anxiety issues also are attached permanently to their phones.

If he's playing sport a few times a week, doing his homework and reading a bit, then that doesn't sound too bad to me OP. Some 14yos are worse!

I struggle with this.
I think it's partly because us parents have been indoctrinated with the idea that all screens are bad
Yet DS is playing with his mates for hours all day, every day it - it just happens to be from the playroom rather than hanging around in a park. He isn't getting fresh air & exercise but then he does that in & around his school day and the after school sport he does every day other than a Monday (or a day with a forecast like today!). He's safe and not being exposed to drink, drugs, unsavoury behaviour or just joining in with mates being teenage ideas whether that's ringing doorbells and running away or seeing how many of them can fit on a bin before it breaks. He isn't still in touch with friends from primary who went to different secondaries. On the other hand, he isn't developing social skills of the give and take of conversation. But Minecraft seemed to hone his negotiation skills!

Why though?

I feel like you're seeing it as moral issue or something and it isn't. He's also not a 5yo who should be playing creatively. He's only a few years off being an adult, I think most adults default to one screen or another when they're truly free. And that's fine because he's doing plenty of other stuff.

Mine are little now but if they were willing to spend evenings watching TV with us as teens I'd be delighted.

Why would he need to do anything other than screen time?

He goes to school, does his homework, plays sport, meets his friend. The screen time happens around that, and it's split between TV, gaming and browsing online. Some of his screen time is watching TV with you.

You're not describing a gaming addiction or staying up all night or bullying on social media. It all sounds fairly balanced to me.