DS17 spends hours on ANGRY BIRDS and BAD PIGGIES

[YourGreatRaven]

DS17 has always worked extremely hard he’s predicted top grades and has applied for Medicine at several competitive universities. We are so proud of his work ethic, which is why his recent sudden shift in behaviour is worrying me.

Over the last few months, he has become fixated on playing Angry Birds and Bad Piggies. It isn't just a 10-minute break between study sessions, he plays it in the morning and evening (approx. 1 hour daily upon examination of his screen time).

DH thinks it's just a harmless way for him to decompress from the immense pressure of A-Levels and university applications. But I’m genuinely concerned with this distraction and regression to playing low-iq games for children. He's even cut down on social media to make time for this (dunno which is worse to be honest). AIBU to be very concerned with his habits at and to think he's losing focus? What action can I take to help encourage him to spend less time on these two games. ITS A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME: 1hr/day = 7hr/week = 364hr/year = 3640hr/decade

If he sat mindlessly in front of the tv for a hour, would you have the same issue?

Maybe the pressure of "top grades" and applying to do medicine has become too much.
He just wants a break from it all.

Any time sink is bad but even a TV show is less of a regression than ANGRY BIRDS????

Not a very good time for that....

OP I would be concerned as well but I do believe the game has become quite common amongst young men. Its blown up on social media and is believed to be a "high iq" game due to the phyiscs mechanics

Wow, you sound controlling. Sometimes when you’ve been working mentally hard all day , sometimes you just need to switch off. And this is his way of doing it. Leave him alone FFS.

Why?
You can get an education at any age.
He doesn't have to do it now.
What's better? Delay a few years or have a breakdown?

Its a degrading game low intelligence game I completely agree OP!

I can think of a million worse ways a 17 year old could use to de-stress, decompress and take a break from the pressure of study.
The very fact that you are so grossly overreacting suggests to me that you are pushing him hard.
An hour a day on a mindless game is perfectly normal.
My DC spent more than that and both turned out with all A*s and first class degrees. Give the lad a break.

Why are you shouting and why are you examining his screen time at 17? An hour a day is fuck all, it's a stress relief and a break from all the shit your brain has to think about.

Either stop being controlling and leave him alone or knock off the rage baity threads. It's one or the other.

One hour a day 🤣 hardly a crisis. Everyone should have some downtime. Who cares if it’s mindless drivel, if that’s how he wants to relax, so be it. Sounds like you could do with unwinding a bit OP.

Aye angry birds sounds right up your street OP. Might do you good.

Oh you’re back …

That has to be a joke

I went through quite an intense candy crush phase that has totally gone now.

DH had similar with block blast.

it’ll pass, leave him to it. Worse things a 17 yo could be doing for sure!

I was obsessed with sonic at that age, the original Nintendo one. I would play 4 or 5 hours on Saturday while also managing to get into a very prestigious university. Poor kid, leave him alone. You probably spend more time on MN, have you calculated your decade time on here?

Are you the OP whose brilliant 17 year old was too intelligent to like porn?

My father, who retired a few years ago, spent forty-nine years as a lawyer in the US, handling corporate clients and winning several awards from state legal associations. In his spare time, he liked reading trashy celebrity magazines (“looks like JLo is getting divorced again”) and watching reruns of the cowboy shows of his childhood on cable TV.

Let your son turn off his brain for an hour and do something mindless and de-stressing, for God’s sake.

@Waitingforthistopass75
Spot on. The same 17 old DID NO CLEANING.

.

😂😂😂😂

🦅 🐷

Hmm. As a regular player taking part in clan battles etc you kind of have to log on each day and spend a certain amount of time engaging with the game. I would be more concerned if he were making in app purchases which can be costly. Other games require far more online time. Angry pigs you can play and go once you have completed challenges which I do whilst having breakfast tea and listening to morning news and don’t log back in til the next morning.

I am a 60 year old full time carer and other members of my clan are retired. Perhaps we have regressed? I can simultaneously listen to the Today programme whilst achieving high scores. Would you have a problem if your son spent the same amount of time completing sudoku or crossword challenges or is just the medium?