screen time for 6 year old

[wombpaloumbpa]

Hi

DS6 loves to play Minecraft and another more basic game on his Amazon tablet. When he comes home from school he plays on it for 30-60 mins. He's doing well at school, he reads every night, does a couple of clubs and swimming.

I'm curious if others think this amount of gaming is appropriate for a 6 year old and what do other people do?

He's very good at stopping when it's time up.

We do no screentime during the week. 60 mins over the weekend or we might watch a family film. He doesn't play any games. I have wondered when to encourage more though as I know his friends talk about Minecraft etc.

I think an hour a day is fine..

@Typerighter thank you. Minecraft is quite good, we play it offline and on peaceful and creative settings so it's not scary. It's definitely addictive though.

@Rowen32 thank you. It does seem to be ok and it's not really affecting anything if that makes sense. We used to only do tablet time at weekends so it feels like a lot sometimes.

I remember my younger brother being obsessed with Minecraft around this age and had an hour window to play it daily, it was his favourite part of his day! The little terror is now 15 and a top performer at one of England's best grammar schools and a star of the rugby, tennis and hockey teams! I think it's all about balance and it sounds like your little one has got a perfectly fine balance!

Why are you asking? It sounds like you’ve found the right balance- he gets to play the game he enjoys regularly and he’s doing well at school, does homework, clubs etc. and still comes off with no fuss when asked. We allow about the same, except when clubs mean there isn’t any time e.g. Thursday is no screens because she has an after school club then brownies, then goes straight to bed as it’s late by the time she’s home and showered. I think screen time can be quite subjective though as what is a great balance for one kid can be excessive in another and cause problems when they’re asked to stop, or mess with sleep. But it sounds like what you’re doing now is working great!

Thank you @MaltipooMama wow how fantastic your little bro has done so well! That's a nice bit of reassurance, thanks

@InTheRainOnATrain I'm just curious what other people allow really. Sometimes it feels like a lot! Sounds like you have a good balance there also.

I think it’s very child dependent. My DS couldn’t have coped with that much at that age. Personal screens sent him a bit crazy and he got super frustrated at games and ended up kicking off. He didn’t start playing Minecraft until about 8. Now at 9 he’s much better at regulating.

As PP said as long as it’s part of a ‘balanced diet’ of activities and it’s not having a negative impact it’s all good!