Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What do your teen boys do at home that doesnt involve a screen?

38 replies

ThumbTowers · 27/04/2025 13:35

I have two young teen sons (14,12). All they seem to want to do at home is gaming or messing about on their phones. I'd really like them to be doing something else, but once the screens are off they are lost, bored, argue with each other etc. What do your teens do to occupy their time at home?

Both belong to a number of sport/hobby clubs that they attend outside of school, so they are active and have variety. But it's the hours spent actually in the house that I am concerned by here. I know they could be reading, painting etc but, in reality, what is it that your teens spend their time at home doing?

OP posts:
KingscoteStaff · 27/04/2025 13:42

Weights.
Guitar.
Making ridiculously complicated (and expensive) stir fries.

rickyrickygrimes · 27/04/2025 13:42

According to both my teens, gaming and messing around on phones is what everybody their age does 🤷‍♀️

Do teenage boys read or paint? Maybe a few do.

tbh mine are either doing the above, doing homework or outside for either sport or meeting friends. Their hobbies are sport based, not creative. Sometimes they might bake or cook dinner, but that’s a bit spontaneous. Oh, and take long long baths (with their phones no doubt).

Boeufsurletoit · 27/04/2025 13:45

My young teen DS will still do lego and build/paint warhammer or read comic books when encouraged away from the screens. We have a similar problem though, that he really wants to be on a screen all the time, and doesn't seem happy to just sit and read a (proper) book anymore. He'll go out to a park with friends but it inevitably turns into going back to someone's house to game. I'm trying to minimise the gaming but it's a struggle because most of it is done socially and I don't want to deprive him of that.

Silsatrip · 27/04/2025 13:46

Ask what jobs they can do (and half arse the jobs) to earn screentime so they can get back on the screen 🙄

It's driving me mad.

Other than that, bike rides

ToKittyornottoKitty · 27/04/2025 13:46

Table football, playing out with friends, playing on the football rebounder outside. Mostly just out with friends though

Preposterious · 27/04/2025 13:48

Having a shower Hmm an activity that seems to take a huge proportion of their free time.
Chores. They help out with whatever needs doing and have some regular chores.
watching TV with us. We’ve watched quite a few shows and films.
Apart from that, homework and screens.

MyDeftDuck · 27/04/2025 13:49

Teach them to cook……….my DD did this with her son who is now 20 and he can rustle up some amazing dinners for the family.
No need to be too adventurous…….start simple but let them experiment. A valuable life skill.

chocolatemousse3 · 27/04/2025 13:49

playing drums.

Waitingfordoggo · 27/04/2025 13:49

Mine sometimes does weights, cooks or does jobs to earn money (jet washing, car cleaning etc). He does spend a fair bit of time outside the house doing sport, going fishing, hanging out on the beach with friends, but when he is at home he is on a screen for the majority of the time I’m afraid.

I daresay my parents said the same about my brother and me in the 80s and 90s except in our case it was a TV screen.

Whyherewego · 27/04/2025 13:52

If they are playing regular sports then I wouldn't worry too much. Fast forward a few years and they'll be studying for gcse and A levels and have tons of homework.
My older in particular uses gaming as his "down time" and he does lots of regular exercise and plays team sports so I'm really not bothered about it

SilverButton · 27/04/2025 13:54

My 15yo plays two instruments so he sometimes practises them not very often. He goes out on his bike or kicks a football around in the garden. He also likes watching sport, any sport, on TV - I realise that's also a screen, but seems a bit less mindless than scrolling on his phone. He does homework too obviously. He reads a bit but not a lot. Like yours, he's also busy with lots of clubs and activities (football, cricket, band, orchestra) so I do cut him a bit of slack. He's a qualified football referee (you can do this from age 14) so does that at weekends to earn a bit of money.

teksquad · 27/04/2025 13:57

Darts and weights in garage
Football in garden
Incredibly long showers
Speaking to girls on phone
Not much else in house

teksquad · 27/04/2025 13:57

forgot guitar

Papyrophile · 27/04/2025 14:04

I had forgotten how long showering used to take! Otherwise, teen DS was keen on cooking and painting/drawing.

Ilovethewild · 27/04/2025 14:10

Eat and sleep!
my teen does football, camping, playing outside, but at home it does default to fifa, utube and music a lot! He’s not a reader, he will say he wants to cook, but really he wants to tell me what to cook to add lots of spices to a meal, but we do it together at least.
Sometimes he will walk the dog

fruitpastille · 27/04/2025 14:12

DS - Playing music, listening to music, arranging music. He does sometimes game one or twice a week - it depends.
DD - art or cooking (watches a lot of netflix too though)
They will take the dog for a walk if they haven't other plans to leave the house.

IAmNeverThePerson · 27/04/2025 14:13

Both read books
DS2 will do DIY gardening and go cycling
DS1 - just screens and impressively long showers using all the hot water

frozendaisy · 27/04/2025 14:17

Hanging with friends
playing darts and pool
chores
does watching live sport count as a screen? It’s more communal and there is physical jumping up and down
homework
we play a lot of games
debate and chat
we read, together but own books
play poker
one creates comic book type ideas

caringcarer · 27/04/2025 14:21

Eldest 18 bowls balls into cricket bowling net in garden. He also does a workout everyday at home so push ups, pull ups on bar he has on his bedroom door frame. Boxing thing he hits. Sometimes practice karate. Cooks with me. Currently learning 4 recipes for when he's at uni in September.
Younger 16, football in garden, keepy upys. Reads a book, Lego. Baking with me.

Sometimes elder son coaches younger one on cricket in garden. Elder son is a cricket coach.

Original poster
ThumbTowers · 27/04/2025 15:17

Thanks, a few ideas to try out. Cooking in particular might be useful. The younger one sees quite a few friends, the older one has a smaller social circle who all seem to just game.

OP posts:
Arglefraster · 27/04/2025 16:14

gaming is reserved for weekends here

Play boardgames with the rest of us.
reads a lot
listens to audiobooks even more
designs boardgames
plays warhammer with DH/or solo (used to paint but usually now only paints if going to a competition)
Does finger pull ups on the door frames 🙄
Eats constantly!!

RoundSquareWithTriangles · 27/04/2025 16:32

Plays pool
Plays basketball
Cooks
Draws

Parker231 · 27/04/2025 16:34

During the week time was taken up mainly with homework and sports activities. Not much time for screens

rickyrickygrimes · 27/04/2025 20:04

Waitingfordoggo · 27/04/2025 13:49

Mine sometimes does weights, cooks or does jobs to earn money (jet washing, car cleaning etc). He does spend a fair bit of time outside the house doing sport, going fishing, hanging out on the beach with friends, but when he is at home he is on a screen for the majority of the time I’m afraid.

I daresay my parents said the same about my brother and me in the 80s and 90s except in our case it was a TV screen.

Edited

And when my mum was young, her parents gave her a hard time for having her ‘nose stuck in a book’ all the time 🤷‍♀️. Teens can’t win.

SweetChilliGirl · 27/04/2025 20:40

My 16 year old DS reads a lot, exercises at the gym, plays tennis, cooks and plays boardgames when he can persuade someone to play with him.

My 18 year old DD reads, draws, showers endlessly, paints her nails, cooks and very occasionally, picks the crap up off her bedroom floor.

And they both have lots of homework and revision to do.