Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

all my son does is play xbox

84 replies

vickyemm · 14/02/2011 17:15

i have two teenage sons one 16 and at college and one 13 all my 13 year old seems to do is play on his xbox when i challenge him about the time he spends on it and suggest he shoulg go outside and hang out hes 13 and i cant really use the term play out anymore he says none of his mates are out there all online on there xboxes so where do i draw the line how long is to long in a day for your son to play xbox when hes always stating theres nothing else to do comments and suggestions please

OP posts:

MitziKinsky · 27/05/2015 09:10

Awww...zombie thread...I thought Fabby was back!

Nettletheelf · 27/05/2015 09:27

Agree with tralala and scurryfunge.

My stepson is like this. His only interest is gaming. He's doing his A levels now, and DH and I worry about how he'll cope when he goes to university because his sole topic of conversation is games. When he was 14/15 he only talked about Mario and other characters, as if they were real people. He's very unfit and doesn't have much conversation.

He doesn't live with us, so we can't control his screen time when he isn't at our house. Even when he was/is with us, he'd slink off to his room with a DS or whatever.

My advice is, try anything to get him interested in a different hobby. We bought DSS a bike so that he could cycle with us; he only went once or twice, reluctantly, when he couldn't find an excuse (usually 'homework', for which read 'playing on my DS in my room') and wanted to go home to wretched Mario after half an hour, but I wish we could have got him into a cycling club. Could you get him interested in learning an instrument and playing in a band? He needs something where he'll be doing things with other kids his own age.

Narnia72 · 27/05/2015 15:17

Just to add another element here, we've just been to Moorfields Eye Hospital (DS under them for a squint) and the ophthalmist reckoned that for good eye health they need to take at least a 10 min break after playing continuously for 20 minutes and go and focus on something in the distance. Apparently (and thus goes for all of us with screen time including work) spending so much time focusing on the screen can make vision worse and lead to headaches and long term eye problems. She was suggesting max of 20 mins ipad/computer use for my kids' age group (3-7) per day.

Kumiho · 27/05/2015 16:24

Ha, FabbyChic was my mum. She bought us every console and game, openly admitting she would far rather we played indoors than outside where we might 'meet the wrong sort' or get murdered by heroin addicts or something.

Result: two addicted kids who couldn't tear themselves away from the screen and could hardly socialise with others. No friends. Little real-world experience.

My brother did OK. He doesn't play anything anymore, moved far away, got a real life.

I wasn't so lucky. Sure I went to Uni, got a job, got married, had kids. But I still can't put the gamepad down.

InDespair · 27/05/2015 17:42

erm....take it away? limit to the weekends only or something?

doesn't he have homework?

whos in charge in the house then?

Mine plays for one hour on the weekends and that's it.

has a perfectly good time, knows its a weekend thing, and occupies herself with other things during the week.

The word 'no' isn't a crime you know.

HormonalHeap · 27/05/2015 21:22

Oh come on InDespair, surely you can conceed that it's not always as easy as "take it away", that there may be unwanted repercussions from the teen? That they do, righty or wrongly, compare their gaming time allowance with that of their friends as they get older?

Purplepoodle · 27/05/2015 21:53

Cousins son got carpel tunnel at 13 from excessive game playing. Every day after school until bedtime and all day Saturday and Sunday. Cousin cut the plugs off the console until he had healed now two years later he is still on max 2 hours during week and 3 on weekend (split into 2 sessions)

LynetteScavo · 27/05/2015 21:56

Kumiho - I don't believe you! Prove it!

(That Fabby is your mum, that is)

flexible1234 · 14/05/2017 14:42

The kids are turning out to be idiots! Parents that allow this are in for a real wake up call later in life. Socialization online is not the same as real life interactions. Bill Gates is my hero for inventing the best child pacifier that pays him everyday and lazy parents love it so they dont have to speak or deal with the kids...my guy will stay in his room for days just leaving to use the bathroom and occasionally eat...

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread