How much daily screen time do you let your DC have?

[MrsJamin]

DS1 is increasingly addicted to screens at the tender age of 4. We have various "screens", tv, ipad, ps3 and laptop and have no idea how to fairly manage his use of them throughout the day. His ability on some apps is frightening! I need to set up some rules or time limits but I don't know where to start or how to divide it fairly over the different devices. I don't know what is worse, tv or gaming, for eg.
Can you let me know how you manage screen time? How old are your children and how many hours minutes do you let them have?

One of my dc has autism and it is most certainly not as a result of screen time. Probably genetic and dd is not keen on TV or computers, but loves music.

If you google tv linked with autism, you find that the studies also noticed an increase in diagnosis of autism with a rainier climate!

I would have thought the key things to take into account when deciding screen time for your dc would include how it affects their behaviour, what they are accessing, educational value, does dc have an interest in a range of other interests too, and of course age of dc.

I have 2 sons 4 and 9 - they are allowed 0 hours screen time during school time (except if DS1 needs to do homework on the computer, which means using Word). On weekends, DS1 allowed his iPod for 1 hour on Saturday, and they are allowed the occasional DVD during holidays. They are usually too busy to even notice, but we have never developed the habit of screen time.

What about homework involving Internet searches?

I wouldn't have thought the homework question was relevant for the OP as her child is only 4.

FWIW, MrsJam I think interactive stuff is generally better for brain development than straightforward tv, so the iPad may be ok for a bit.

DS1 is almost 5 and DS2 is 14 months. During the week the TV doesn't go on.

On a weekend, DS1 will watch a couple of hours max (whole weekend) of DVDs. DS2 is in the room too, but doesn't tend to pay any attention. Once a month we keep DS1 up as a treat for a "movie night".

DS1 also has a DS, but tends to only use it for long trips in the car - so maybe once or twice a month. Like with the TV, he doesn't ask for it, so we don't offer either.

at limiting tv/screen time?!

my ds (almost 3) will put it on/change channels/put a dvd on/select pre recordings himself.. i usually leave him to it unless theres something ive recorded that i especially want to watch.. he doesnt sit glued he'll just put something on and then play with his toys (righht now we have chuggington on recorded from 2010 and hes sat under the dining room table playing with his chugginton trains..) its prob only watched for 5-10min every couple of hours. background noise as someone said upthread. i wouldnt dream of limiting it though? hes not naughty/agressive, he does plenty of outdoor activities, craft stuff, playates with friends..

i find it very difficult to believe that kids who have limited tv time turn out any different than those that dont!

We only don't have tv because DH and I both loathe it. Don't know what approach we'd take if we enjoyed it.

That question wasn't to the OP I should have been clearer, it was for momin who said homework using only word. I thought that using the PC for to search info would be relevant to homework.

Mine are 4, 6 and 8 and I let them self regulate. Sometimes they use the consoles a lot, sometimes they go days without touching them. If they got too addicted (like dds bf who is completely obsessive about her ds) I'd impose restrictions but as it stands I'm comfortable with how much they use them.

That said dp and I are gamers so we can see it from their point of view, a good game is like a good book. How annoying would it be to be reading a really good story and be told you only had a limited time each day? It's the same with a game with a storyline, it's not enjoyable if you're on a clock.

Most kids are surprisingly good at self regulating if given the chance, the key is to look at it over the course of a week though, yes they might spend a few hours on it one day but often they don't play it again for several days as they get distracted by other activities.

Ime of friends who impose restrictions their children tend to get more obsessive in a way as they spend all day asking for their hour and then get ratty when it's over. They put off other activities in case they miss their screen time. Mine don't have that, they know they can use them when they want so more often than not do other stuff first and aren't pushed about having to have some screen time every day as they know they can just do it tomorrow without losing their 'hour'

Officially I'd like ds (age 3.7) to have an hour per day, we set the limit from reading the Dr Sally Ward babytalk book. But there are some days when I work late and dh is worn out so he has more (I guess up to two hours realistically as he has nursery all morning and extra curricular most afternoons)..We try to make up for that by having little or none on other days. We have no iPad yet but he does play with educational apps on my phone, one of his favourites is the euro talk maths 3-5/4-6 app and he's learnt a lot from that as well as how read simple words from some others. Once a week or so he plays on the cbeebies website or on a similar subscription one we have in his additional language on an old laptop of mine. They do a bit of ict at school and we don't count that in the hour limit. We don't watch tv and don't have sky and the only channel ds watches is cbeebies so no adverts!
We often listen to CDs (wide range from childrens songs to classical though not much pop stuff as i am square and don't have any!!) and dance around, ds loves dancing. I encourage that and it has never occurred to me to limit it like with a screen, kind of self limits anyway. If he's ill or really exhausted then the cBeebies quota tends to increase....

Hello, just wanted to share this little video about a report on Screen Time from Children in Northern Ireland - I think it raises some really interesting points. You can watch here: youtu.be/rhI_F3X2Oa0

Mine are 5 and 3. No TV before school/ preschool. They can watch it between school and dinner but usually choose to play instead. After dinner they usually choose a programme each, so about 30 mins.
But at the weekend we are all lazy and have it on most of the morning.
No ipads or other screens.