10 & 12 reliant on gadgets

[rainydogday]

I have a DS aged 10 who plays on roblox or his switch a lot.....if I say it needs to go off it's straight on YouTube on the TV. We have a good sized garden and they do play on the trampoline. But mainly they desperately want to be on a screen all the time. I do try and limit it but admittedly when life is busy it does creep in more & more. DD 12 doesn't have a phone but uses mine lots to go on musically/TikTok etc. She has guineapigs so does spend a bit of time with them. It just seems that kids just don't play with toys anymore. We encourage them to go out and play or call for friends (live in a village) and go to the park but that seems like a chore and they just want the screens!!! We do go on bike rides as a family and they do lots of sports & clubs. Any top tips of 'things' or toys that may entice them away from the dreaded screens? Like I said I don't mind them having them but it has got to the stage when I say it's tea time or they need to come off their behaviour is awful. Ideas welcome!!!

I feel your pain. My 11 year old would be on screens all day if we let him. I am very firm however that him being bored without them is not my problem, it's his. There are plenty of alternatives. If he's being grumpy and rude without a screen I send him to his room. Being bored is a normal part of childhood and helps us be creative and more self-sufficient. I make a list with him of stuff he really enjoys and remind him to look at the list when he's flopping about the place complaining about being bored without a screen. For him they include reading thrillers and sports autobiographies (I make sure he always has something on the go on the kindle); graphic novels and comics (I get them from the library); listening to music; baking and cooking; and going for a run or a cycle.

The list idea is good! I will get them to do it when they are feeling in a good mood 🙄 Then grumpy and flopping around everywhere hating me I will remind them of it

You could give them an hour a day screen time and they can choose when to use it - they're old enough to make those sorts of executive decisions.