To want to put a mall TV and console in each child's room?

[losingmymindiam]

My 10 and 13 year old constantly argue about whose turn it is to use their console (each bought their own with birthday money) as they are both hooked up to one TV. We have a games room and one other TV in the lounge. I don't want a console hooked up to that. I have always been against TVs etc in bedrooms but OMG they are driving me insane. Time on devices would be regulated so they couldn't just scuttle away for hours. What are your thoughts on electronics in bedrooms?

Argh a SMALL TV not mall!

I’m not sure that spending hundreds on tvs is the best way to solve a quarrelling problem really!

I have a 13 and 15 year old we gave in last year and got them a tv each for their rooms as I couldn't cope with the arguing anymore. I now spend my life calling them back downstairs as they disappear as soon as I'm busy in another room 🙄

Mine have.
I have 4 children aged from 30- 11 and all the older ones have done very well for themselves, very sporty, lots of friends, have no weight problems and have all had TVs in their rooms.
I take the remote control off younger one at 7 week nights and later weekends and holidays.
Never had any problems.

If you think you could regulate it then yes, makes sense to me.

As long as their was an enforced cut off id be fine about it. Id be tempted to have an open door rule so I could overhear if there was any games/content/chat I disapproved of.

Alternatively, get the a tv for their bedroom for xmas; and the 10yo uses the playroom til they turn 13 which is when they theb get a tv

Surely if you do this, either you will spend you life going backwards and forwards trying to keep them our of their rooms playing with consoles, OR you will give up and they actually will just spend hours and hours in their rooms playing with consoles?

Consoles would be getting removed for a few days then a rota drawn up. Any issues they get removed again.

I would. Life's too short to be arguing over the tv everyday and as they reach their teens they are probably going to want to spend more time upstairs anyway.

Television in bedrooms is linked to lower academic achievement and increased mental health problems. So no, I wouldn’t and didn’t. They can always watch on their laptops downstairs in a different room.

Both of mine had tv’s and game consoles in their rooms and they both managed to grow up into normal, well adjusted, tax paying adults.

We did just that with ours in the early teens, they socialise on their consoles as well as play so allowing them their own space helped

I would get a tv for the 13 year old to have in his room, but would want the 20 year old to remain downstairs in the games room.

I would then get a larger tv for the older child (perhaps for Xmas).

The 10 year old wound be told they can have a tv in third room once they are the same age.

The 13 year old would need to understand it's a privilege that could be taken away if he did not follow your house rules.

Could just get a second monitor/tv for the games room. And headphones.

^ Yeah I guess that's an option - they do already play with headphones. They are pretty good at sticking to time limits it's just the having to be exactly equal to the minute in time on tv/console etc! Would definitely have open door rule. My eldest is so loud when he plays with his friends, there is no worry about not knowing what is going on... another reason to move them away from living area!

I agree with above poster, a second screen in games room would be my preference.

I have 1 gaming teen who has Xbox in his room with a TV screen but the TV isn't able to be used as a TV iyswim. So the time he spends gaming is up there and if he wants to watch TV then that's downstairs.

As regards amount of time on it - as long as homework is done and meals eaten together I'm pretty relaxed, but it goes off at 9.30 automatically

i woudn't, Sceen time in the evenings is increasingly identified as a problem for everyone.
My kids have never had TV in their rooms -despite begging and pleading. We don't watch the one in our bedroom and will probably get rid of it.

Spoiled

You know your children best. The pp who mentions academic and mental health problems, maybe I was just lucky but my 3 have all attended uni and those who have left have gone straight into jobs they love.
The youngest, still at school has adhd and asd. He finds he can communicate better online as he does not have to be face to face.
Yesterday he was playing online and agreed to meet his friends in the park, we then spent 2 hours in the park with them playing football while I walked round the edge with the dog.

It depends on your children as to whether they'll cope, surely?

I never had a TV in my room growing up as my dad thought it was an awful idea, but I did have a PC with a DVD player that I could use with no restrictions, so I'm not really sure that his argument made much sense!

I think two consoles and one TV is a bit of an awkward situation because as it stands they can never play at the same time. Could you have two TV's in the games room? So they can both play at the same time using headphones but it's still downstairs and you can control it?

Yes I do worry about the mental health and school being affected but they wouldn't get any more time than they do now, it's just should it be in their bedrooms - we have never had a tv in our room but am actually considering that too haha. Something about it doesn't sit quite right but not sure why! It's good to hear that some PP have had children grow up without effects.

In their bedrooms? Never.

I wouldn't. I would punish squabbling by switching the damned thing off. The lesson is surely that sharing something (time) fairly shouldn't cause major fights.

Yeah I do all the kids of time for arguing etc etc. It's just so tiresome and I want some peace and quiet!