To wish I'd never bought my children Ipads?

Take them away. My kids have an iPad to share. They are 6 and 8. Only school work allowed through the week. No YouTube unless they’re searching for stuff with me, and it’s something specific like a drawing tutorial or some info for a school related topic.

The endless YouTube videos will be killing their attention span. You’re really setting them up for hardship if you continue.

At the very least make sure it’s kids you tube - it’s still got dross on but at least more monitored. My 8 and 10 year old share the family iPad. They have switches to play games on but have never been allowed you tube unless they tell me what they want to watch - they get it and understand why!

Also weigh up the fact that an iPad is just as educational as for fun

So get them to use it wisely

and to look things up to learn more

YouTube got "broken" in this house (DC used to watch it on the telly, not an iPad) because no matter what settings I changed it was still churning out that absolute dross and it did have an effect on behaviour.

I allow a bit of Netflix kids, which is whole episodes of stuff so no screeching and OTT sound effects. I'd prefer CBeebies tbh but I don't pay a TV licence (Netflix is only £5pm) and lots of the same stuff is on Netflix Kids anyway. If that starts to be addictive it'll get "broken" too.

I think our generation have to fix this for our kids. I know I'm addicted to my phone and I don't want that for my kids. I've decided they're not having phones or tablets until they're 14+. Easy to say now when they're younger...

This.

I genuinely can't get my head round anyone buying a 6 year old an iPad.

I wouldn’t say 2 hours a day and allowing youtube is strict at all. I sould say that’s very lax.

Mine have ipads

I use the screen time function to do the following

Nothing works at all except between 6-7pm (we also allowed weekend mornings when they were younger)

Youtube is blocked. So is the website www.youtube.com otherwise they just use that. Youtube is mind rotting dross IMO. Same for Tiktok.

clean content filters on

no apps can be downloaded without permission

This is such a simple but genius approach. I am going to start using this “it’s mine but you can borrow it” technique myself for anything I want to limit.

Do something with them then

don’t blame them or the iPad

My 7 year old has one is strictly for school work and educational purposes. It’s an Amazon tablet and I’m impressed with the level of of control I have via my phone. We have no YouTube on it or anything like that. I can turn it off and limit time and what apps are used on it.

Take the iPads away.

We had one family tablet and the DC, 6 and 8, had strict limits - half an hour a day, absolutely no YouTube. They still went absolutely crazy around it and were frankly obsessed. So it is now ‘lost’ and it’s not coming back.

Just take them away. It will only get worse/harder as they get more used to having them and there is nothing they csn gain from an ipad they couldn't get elsewhere. They absolutely do not need unrestricted access to their own devices at that age.

If you want to try ajd not just be ruthless then maybe sell that they are only for christmas/winter time and now it's spring and light evenings they dont need them.
Or swap them with the eater bunny for chocolate (shameless bribery but who cares😆) or they just tragically break (take the fuse out the charger?) And that's a terrible shame isn't it.

What is ‘cute ads’ girls doing silly things 😐 you know there are parents restrictions for things like that right?

Just set parental controls and remove all apps that are causing the issue.
take control of their screen content!

It’s not judgement to say you shouldn’t let them have unrestricted access to YouTube, it’s good advice. My 7 year old gets half an hour a couple of times a week and even then I review what she watches (currently kid friendly videos about Tokyo as we are planning a family holiday there) and she only watches it on a tv. My 3 year old doesn’t get to watch YouTube.

tablet is only for some games and homework

Hear this over and over again, yet parents are still giving their young kids iPads and such like. Why? Do you think your kid will be different?

We should be judgemental about this I am afraid. No 6 year old needs an iPad, let alone unsupervised access. You are the parent, so parent.

YouTube banned in our house, even for the 12 yr old. It spirals quickly in there and without exception, when they watched YouTube before long they saw highly inappropriate videos, starting at cute kittens very quickly led to cute ass girls doing silly things. You cannot control what the next click your kid innocently makes. So fully block YouTube or you’ll live to regret it.

I recently gave my 7 year old a tablet and regretted it! But then I blocked YouTube and made the parental controls much stronger and she's using it in more the way I envisaged now. I've blocked all Internet browsers too. She can read books on it (or have them read to her, or read aloud and have help with difficult words), do Duolingo, draw, take pictures, use school maths and spelling apps.
If she wants to watch TV she does it on a big screen.
Block everything then pick a few apps you would be completely happy with them using to download/unblock.

I skim read a book about technology and children a few years back. There's lots of research and advice not to give screens to babies and the dangers of teen technology, but not much on the 5-11 age group where parents normally relax a bit and let them watch more screens. This is actually a bad time, with their development. I can't remember the details why. From personal experience I have a 2 year old and a 6 year old. My 6 year old will be glued to anything that's on. Unlike your twins and her classmates she doesn't see anything as too babysih. They don't hold the 2 year olds attention in the same way.

Sorry for the ramble, I don't have an answer, except I've been considering a tablet for my DD as homework is mostly online, but I think we'll hold off. Maybe in the Easter holidays plan an exciting alternative? Are they sticking to the time limits and not tantruming after. Fwi my 6 year old has started back up with the tantrums, I think school is tiring, and it's nothing to do with screens for us.

Use the parental controls to limit YouTube time to 15 minutes and then it turns off. They’re right that CBeebies is too young for many 6 year olds. CBBC might be better or help them choose decent kids tv series. Download educational apps to help them enjoy ‘iPad time’ without being on YouTube. Is their homework on the iPad?

Watching YouTube on an iPad is not the same as watching something like Cbeebies or Disney+ on a TV.

The iPad makes it a solitary activity, the YouTube algorithm makes it display shit, shirt form content and is designed to be addictive.

This is insane. 1h of Youtube a day for 6yolds, and you seem to not take any responsibility or control.

Cbeebies etc has great programmes so it's not really the same as scrolling endlessly through suggested videos of kids' self-made crap or dodgy animations of Anna and Elsa need abortions (some of the weird animations I've seen on YouTube)