What age do you think is suitable for an Xbox ?

[Lardlizard]

?

Impossible to say with most circumstances.

Buying a brand new one?
Got an old one already?
Second hand one being gifted to you?
What kind of games do you have?

It's not a simple one answer fits all

My boys are 6 and 5 and play on my husbands just fifa and car games

Never, because games are the tool of the devil, they'll turn your brain to mush, anyone who is even in the same room as one is destined to suffer as an unlovable, forever alone pathetic man-child (because only men and boys ever play video games) and any parent who lets their child near one might as well just buy them heroin.

Just getting all the usual shit out of the way early.

My ds had one from age 5.

I like to think my son won't ever have one but I can't stand them.

My 6 year old has played an old one off and on for a while but since lockdown she’s on it for a couple of hours every few days playing minecraft and to be honest I’m grateful for it! She doesn’t have it hooked up to play online though.

We’ve ordered a new PS4 for a joint present for her and her sister for xmas. It’s a big present at that age but we’re justifying it as DH and I will play it as well and it will be in the living room so we’ll be keeping an eye on what they’re doing.

We got a PS4 for ourselves and let the kids play the Lego games. They're 6 and 4. You can set time limits. Not how I thought I'd parent, hey ho!

7 or 8

I don't really think the age a DC gets a console really matters. So long as it is done in a controlled and balanced way, gaming per se is not an issue for me.

We do have 2 rules in my house that I would recommend though.

1. All screen time (whether it's gaming, TV or phone) has to be earned and time-limited- in our house school comes first, so we expect each DC to do a certain amount of study which increases with their age and allows them to earn screen time. So for example DS2 is in year 8 and he has to do 1.5 hours study each school night and 2 hours over the weekend (homework and revision)- he is then allowed 2 hours of screen time in the evening.

When he goes into year 9, he will have to do 2 hours of study each evening and 3 hours over the weekend, but he will be allowed half an hour extra screen time of an evening.

1. DC should have to ask permission for all screen time and this should be a habit practised from a young age. So after they've done their study, the DC will come to me or DH and ask "please can I go on my phone" or "please may I watch Netflix for an hour".

You also shouldn't be afraid to refuse permission if you feel for example they haven't been behaving. Grades at school also come into it at mine so DC who I know have not tried their best will lose some of their screen time. I think having to ask stops then from just seeing screen time as a default activity and reminds them who's in charge.

Got a second-hand Xbox360 for Christmas when eldest was 8. All the Lego games, Minecraft, etc run on it, and also iPlayer, Amazon Prime. Newer consoles are only needed if you want newer games which tend to be teen-rated at least.

Yes, kids can spend hours on them, but if they spend a day figuring out how to use pistons and engines to make secret traps, or designing their authentic Roman Colosseum in Minecraft, it's not all bad.