Tablet use 7yo help !

[Snowie2]

Hi my DS has had a tablet for a few months & is addicted to minecraft & other stuff. At first it was a welcome relief as he's so active alway up v early etc so it made a welcome change to not have to get up / wake up at 6am on a Saturday ! Instead he would be happily installed with the tablet in his room for a couple of hours. Not ideal I know.

Anyway this has run on we rationed its use during school time but over the summer this lapsed a lot. His first thought in the morning is has his table charged (in our room) he gets it & disappears.

During the day he'll be on it on and off & it causes frustrations (he's prone to sudden tantrums too).
He also has it in bed usually for a set time (eg 30 mins) but sometimes a lot more as quote frankly it stops him running around upstairs /annoying his sister etc.
I've had it with it tbh and want to put it away for at least the month of September but DH is being totally unreasonable about when I try to restrict its use he says I'm torturing the child. Some of this is due to his memory of his own childhood when he never had anything good/new/a console (tablets weren't invented!) but I know some is the peace and quiet.
DS is into sports too don't get me wrong & brought everywhere - focus on health & education but we're seriously failing here.

DS is currently in bed having a total tantrum as I took away the tablet. DH had an equal tabtr downstairs & verbally abused me for taking it off DS (give me strength !).

I'm so tempted to tell both of them it's broken as I can't persuade DH it's as unhealthy as it is. We both work FT.

I need some advice - we seem to all have tablet co-dependency issues

My DS is 4 and adores the iPad, but for the moment accepts it's mine and he gets to borrow it. Some days he doesn't touch it, occasionally if I'm exhausted or tied up with his sister he'll use it for an hour or 2. Mostly it's half an hour at one or 2 points in the day.

I think it's well recognised that extended screen time is not good for social interaction and obesity rates in kids. It's also known that iPad use in the 2 hours before bed causes sleep issues for many children.

Personally, I'd give him chores each day (simple stuff like tidying room, laying table, sorting washing) and say once they were done he could have a total of 1 hour on the iPad, split how he wants. He has to ask for it and return it. No iPad in bed at any time.

I think it's a bit mean to suddenly take it off him, but I do think if you can pass it by your DH, you need to sit down with him and explain the problems of using screens and tell him why you're limiting the use, but he will still get use each day, provided he's behaving as part of the family team by doing his jobs.

My DS is only 4 though so perhaps more amenable!

Thanks yes I have to handle It better things got v emotional for all of us. Thing is dd is 5 and nowhere near as interested I think it's his age. I've had iPhone for few years they always played it but would give back (eventually!). This is different though he is really in there with the games I suppose it's an escape for him too.

I just used to shoo SIMs addicted 6yo into the garden, now I shoo SIMs and instergram addicted 13yo onto the trampoline.

Big sister I tell to draw, sing or go for a walk.

No rules or limits, I'm too lazy and disorganised, DD2 is too stroppy, whinny and DD1 too quietly devious.

Miaow that's a good idea I might try that when the days get shorter & they're stuck indoors.
Elephants - I have a devious dd too :)