Straw poll - How much computer time and pocket money does your 11 year old get?

[jennifersofia]

Thinking I might be rather behind the times..
We have 50p / week and 20-30 minutes a day. What about you?

Ds (Yr 7) has a £10 monthly allowance which has to cover non-essential clothes and perfumery (so I will buy school uniform and basic everyday wear, but he gets the extras)

We lump all screen time together. We no longer have a set daily time because he's really busy so doesn't get much "down time" when he does (like tonight) he'll probably have a couple of hours o tv or Playstatipn when he gets home, then another hour when we all watch The Apprentice together. He won't have the time for any more screen time til Saturday, probably.

He gets £10 a month pocket money. He can earn more by doing extra jobs.

DS nearly 11

£3.50 (50p per day) which he has to earn by doing small daily jobs

Rule 1 .No screen time until homework is finished.
Rule 2. No computer games within 1 hour of bed time.

Which generally means there is no time for for computer games on school nights and probably 1 hour of TV on school nights. On weekends its unlimited but as DS has lots of activities and homework on the weekend it rarely becomes excessive and needs monitoring. The only time I have to put my foot down is if he has bought a new xbox game in the school holidays, then he becomes a bit obsessive and has to be dragged off it

Of course he contsantly tells me that none of his friends have these rules and can all do what they want when they want Makes no difference to my rules though

DSD is 11 in July she gets £5.00 per week and £5.00 on her mobile phone and she doesnt get computer during the week (unless Skype to speak to her family) and at the weekends if your lucky she gets 3 hours maximum as we are normally out and about my rule is also 30 mins max at any time

Thanks, we are having a think about that. Very useful to get a different view of it. Anyone else?

Dd (11) and dd2 (9) both get £5 per month each.

TV and computer times - it varies - some days none at all if they're busy doing activities, could be up to an hour on other days.

We don't have limits on computer time either - well, I mean they have never been allowed to sit there for hours night after night, but it's about balance with other things they do rather than a set 20 - 30 mins.
dd2 watches quite a lot of progs on the computer, which last longer than that, but she is picking up things she's not watched because she's being doing other things on other nights, IYSWIM. Sometimes she does a bit of research, and creates 'projects' or makes cards or invitations or powerpoint presentations and stuff, which I'm quite happy with her spending time on.

Re pocket money - when in Junior School my dc have all had 10p per year of their life, per week. So, dd2 is now 10, she gets £1 a week. It's just for her own sweets or the occasional birthday present though - we pay for everything she belongs to etc.
In secondary, they get £1 per year of age, per month (so dd1 who is £13, gets £13 a month). They have to pay for own phones and any going out, out of that, but again, we pay subs and stuff

We don't do pocket money. No reason, just never started it.

DCs are 12, nearly 11 and 8.

DS has his monthly phone bill paid (£10.50), and my stepdad gives them £2 each whenever he sees them, but that's all. Not entirely sure how we have got away with it......

I don't limit computer or TV time specifically; I just tell them to do something else if I think they've been on it a while, and they don't complain. The three of them have to negotiate between themselves who gets to use the computer at what time, depending on who has got homework/afterschool activities etc.

We used to do the 10p per year of life thing too but then we realised with 2 dds close in age (21 months apart) who are both into the same sorts of things, it was completely unfair. So we gave them both £1 per week each. We have now upped it slightly and they both get £5/month each.

DS1 10 and we don't do pocket money either, no reason just never have. We do limit screen time, 20 mins of school work related laptop eg: mathletics = the same amount of time on the x-box.

Too much computer time and very little money!