Best way to deal with computer obsession in 4yr old?

[Fel1x]

DS1 is 4.8yr old. He very likely has mild autism (is in process of being diagnosed).
His biggest obsession is computers. He is obsessed with DH's playstation and with an old gameboy we have. They are both pretty old and DH's and the games on them are Sonic the hedgehog and Supermario, so they are a bit old for him. He talks about them hundreds of times a day.
We took the playstation away and hid it about 3 months ago as he was getting so focussed on it (he got up in the early hours to play on it!!). We told him it is broken. He still asks for it to be fixed at least twice every day.
The gameboy we let him have for a short time each day (as we can put it away out of reach and sight in between) and he often asks for it at other times, but when he is allowed to play it, he gets very frustrated as its quite hard for him and often ends up tantrumming.
His favourite ever activity is for DH to play the gameboy to get past the hard bit with DS just watching him transfixed!

I'm thinking about taking the gameboy away too as it seems so unhealthy to have as an obsession at his age, but also feel pretty bad as its the thing he loves most (and the only thing that is an effective deterrant against bad behaviour.. ie 'if you dont stop that immediately there will be no gameboy time today')

I am debating with myself over whether the best way to deal with it would be to remove all computer type things and keep him away from them as long as I can to break the obsession OR whether to take away the gameboy and replace with a pre-schooler appropriate type thing (a DS?) that is more easy going and just ration his time on it?

Anyone been here? Any advice??

Hi

I syphasis with you, my 8yr old DS1 has been and still is obsessed with anything computer related. He has also been tested for Aspergers and ADHD but both tests came back clear. He started playing on these around the age of 4 and I now have to ration how much he plays on them or he would be on them 24/7!!

I think you have to try and get him play educational games as well as the fun ones. We got my son a DS and bought him some of the brain training and puzzle games these help and I feel better about him going on the ds as he is learning stuff.

I also use like you the DS, Wii and computer as leaver points for good behaviour in both our sons, DS2 is 4yrs but not as obsessed as the 8yr old.

I think just be strict with the amount of time he spends on it, give him clear instructions on when he can and can not go on it, and also how much time he can go on it as well.

Hope this helps

My ds was like this from a very early age (just turned 5)His favourite thing was watching people play on games

He is 16 now, and completely normal (well as normal as a teenager can be). He is still obsessed with computers (revising and MSNing at same time on a split screen)

However he has loads of friends, a very good social life and is working very very hard for his GCSES atm

agree with ebaldy, i've never really got why people see the bad side of computers and gaming. as long as they also get out and about don't see it as a major problem.

I agree as well. We live in a digital age. Children born after 2000 are nicknamed the digital natives or the igeneration......, or sometimes generation z.

They are meant to be totally at one with digital media generation z
digital natives