How much screen time are your kids having in lockdown?

[RoseGoldCloud]

Feel like DC are watching too much TV and online games so going to set some new limits but I’m not sure what is reasonable during lockdown. We are both still working here so unfortunately the DC do need to entertain themselves a lot and DC1 is playing some multiplayer games with his friends which I think is reasonable as he can’t socialise any other way at the moment. How much screen time are you allowing during lockdown?

[ElleyBear13]

Too much - I have a 2 and 5 year old they're watching tv / iPads when they wake at 6am till around 9am. Then break for a couple of hours then TV from 12-3..sometimes longer until bedtime at 7. I'm struggling as hubby is a key worker - working long hours and I have a colicky 8 week old-it's so hard without the support.

I've noticed a huge difference with my eldest behaviour with all the telly/ipad time. Hes hurrendous 😣

[Laiste]

aarrrggghhhhh!

Right - here's what's happening here: i've got 4 daughters. 3 are early 20s so can do what they like obvs. but the youngest is 6.

For the first 2 weeks or so i was strict with DD4 and was sticking to a bit of CBBies while she ate her breakfast, an hour on the ipad AFTER home schooling if we'd been productive, and then either a disney film OR an hour on the PS4 (mine craft or pawpatrol game) late afternoon.

By week 3 she was LIVING for the next screen time. Constantly asking when when when or sneaking upstairs to find one of her sisters devices! She has loads of lovely toys upstairs and down here and a lovely garden with paddling pool/slide ect.

We started to say she had to earn her screen time by occupying herself nicely in between times. Making a note of it. Sticker chart ect. But it just didn't work.

So i've banned the ipad and the PS4 completely She is watching CBBies as i type this. In a minute we'll start her home schooling and then that's it! She'll be allowed to watch a film or some episodes of The Deep or something late afternoon on the TV. But no button pressing devices. It's like going back to the 2000's when her sisters were little.

Has it helped? Yes. It's taken 2 weeks but to be honest she has finally these last couple of days stopped watching the clock for the next screen time. She's been occupying herself more and actually chosing to go upstairs and play in her room with her dolls house ect YAY!

and breathe.

[ITonyah]

Mine are so sick of their devices after a full day of live online school that they can't wait to do some baking/go for a run/muck about outside. Dd2 has taken up embroidery, it's very #cottagecore apparently

[Laiste]

With regards to 'why not let them do what they want?':

DD gets grumpy and argumentative and doesn't sleep well OR eat well if she's been gaming or watching telly too long. On the rare occasion when she's been allowed to do what she wants all day she's ended up unhappy. She gets furious with the games she's playing and ends up tearful and pissed off.

[kitschplease]

Loads, but going outdoors every day too. It's the least of my worries right now.

[Uhoh2020]

Majority of the day! Whether it be on the laptop doing school work, on ps4/xbox, face time or watching Netflix. I cant wait for them to socialise as normal when schools open or lockdown eased so they can meet up with a group of friends.
It's far more than I'd like but not a battle I'm going to pick right now. They've had their freedom and routine taken away I'm not going to take the screens away too.

[YouLando]

To borrow a phrase I saw once on here - a metric fuck tonne of screen time.

[OhArsebags]

Loads. But they alway me did. I have no issue with screens and mine seem to learn loads from the games they play on line, reading etc.

[DownWhichOfLate]

Blimey. Mine have 30 mins - 1 hour a day. But they are only 18 months and 5 years.

[Whatsmyname26]

This basically sums up the situation here

[Quartz2208]

so much that they got bored! Turns out you can reach saturation. DD is now rereading Harry Potter and DS is desperate to go back

[GiveMyHeadPeaceffs]

Roughly eleventy billion hours...but it's the only peace I get.

[OnTheMoors]

About 10 hours. Disney plus, games etc. No consoles , just a mobile phone. And we have about 2 hours a day out of the house for exercise

[RoseGoldCloud]

Thank you everyone. I feel a lot better. Our screen time is a bit of a disaster but it sounds like it’s not unusual at the moment. I also think I was being unrealistic about the new limits I was going to set (was planning on some pre-lockdown limits eg 2 hours) but on reflection and with the help of this thread I think maybe that’s unrealistic with us both working. I’m just going to aim to increase our family (non screen time) activities a bit each week. Focus on doing more together which indirectly should reduce the screen time a bit. But on work days I think I need to be careful to be realistic or I’ll end up very very stressed and upset.

[Oysterbabe]

As much as they want. I can't bring myself to care anymore. Luckily they don't want to be on there all day and still prefer proper toys.