What are your house rules for mobile phones and devices? Tell O2 for a chance to win an iPad Mini NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

We've been asked by O2 to find out about Mumsnetters' house rules for mobile phones and other technology devices.

Here's what O2 say: "We know families are using technology more than ever, with most households now having several devices online at any time, whether it be their phones, their laptop, their games consoles, their tablet, or their smart TV. But we also know that parents are very unsure about the rules they should set around usage. So we?d like to open a discussion about how you set - and follow - digital house rules for your family, to help other parents feel a little more confident about setting their own.?

So, what technology rules do you have for your DCs? Do phones have to be switched off overnight? Perhaps your DCs have a limit on how much time they can spend online on their phone?

Do you use any rules to keep your DCs safe online? Maybe you check their social networks profiles? Or perhaps you have parental controls in place to stop them accessing particular sites? Or maybe you prefer to keep the house rules to a minimum?

Whatever your house rules are, O2 would love to hear about them!

Everyone who comments on the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win an Apple iPad mini with Retina display, 16GB Space, thanks to O2.

Please note comments on this thread might be used by O2 on their website or on their social media channels: please only add a comment if you're happy for your comment to be used.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

PS - O2 also say "We think that technology is amazing, but we also know it can be a little confusing.
Join our Gurus in store to discover how you can make an app or learn how to keep your family safe online.
Our workshops are free and open to everyone. Sign up here, You're all welcome."

My boys are 6 and 4 so they only watch TV or play games. All internet access is turned off and they only get it for an hour a day

I don't let my children have their own iPads there 6 and 4. I have recently let them use my phone and started downloading apps for them. I let them play for a while but mainly only download learning games. They are limited with the time they spend on device as I worry with kids growing up they are limited on social skills as majority of interaction is done through a keyboard rather then verbal communication.

We have a Kurio 4s touch which is great for limiting the time she can play on it, and I only allow her to play on the apps whilst I'm with her, when time runs out (45 mins max) I just say oh no tablet is tired now and she's still young enough to believe me (not for long though!) it is a pretty good tablet for children!

Our little boy is only just turning 2, but he uses our iPhones and iPads all the time. The only rule is that he is limited to the amount of time he plays on them. At the moment we allow a maximum of one hour a day.

I want to encourage my kids to use technology and learn how to use it properly and safely.

It's an amazing tool for helping with homework and making topics come alive (and answering questions that I don't know the answer to... like this morning's question of why do lions have a mane?!) but it definitely needs parental supervision and guidance, especially with younger children who could easily find inappropriate when searching for something innocent on google or youtube. For example, if you search for Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie on Youtube there are a number of films I wouldn't want my children to watch!!

My boys are still too young for a mobile phone (although my 8 year old disagrees!) but do use our family iPad to play games and take photographs.

They can't download any new apps without me or DH putting in the password so we can check they are suitable and age appropriate.

No iPads or mobile phones are allowed at the dinner table at home (but we do sometimes take them with us if we're going to a pub or restaurant for lunch to keep them entertained once they've finished eating!).

My 8 year old has our old laptop in his room for homework. I was nervous about him having access to the internet so we have had a discussion about internet safety and use and also now have Norton family software set up so he can only visit approved websites. I'll probably be more relaxed as he gets a bit older!

We don't have any time limits set as the boys tend to get bored and find something else to do after 10-15mins.

DS is almost 7. House rules include:
No screentime in the morning at weekends.
No screentime if homework/music practice hasn't been done.
Ignoring people who are calling to him while he is playing will get the device/movie stopped or confiscated for that day.
Humans present in the room come first over anything electronic.
Screentime on weekend days limited to 90 mins (the same length as a kids movie).
No screentime during the week in termtime

No set rules. DD (3) can play iPad games or watch YouTube for occasional short amounts of time, but I don't want it to become the "I am bored - go to habit"

I do think us adults need to set mire ground rules though. No electronic devices after 9.30 pm and def not in bed.

No devices at the dinner table nor to answer to it during meal time

With my children being older more difficult to apply strict rules but encourage them to talk lots about what they are doing and to show me things on their social sites and even teach their poor old mum things - that way feel they are not hiding things from me!

We try to limit their use of devices but they dont' always stick to the rules. Each of our 3 boys has a Kindle Fire, which they mostly use for games & videos; they have a laptop between them which they use for playing Minecraft; and our 14 yo also has a mobile and an iPod Touch. He rarely bothers with his mobile (weird I know for a teenager) - he'll occasionally text a friend during the holidays but other than that he just uses it for keeping in touch with me on his way home from school. So no limits need to be applied there
However the argument point is the laptop. Ideally I'd like them to have no more than half an hour to an hour each on it daily but on wet school holiday days they will often end up on it most of the day in spite of my best efforts to tempt them off it :(

Rules in our house are:
You must ask before using the tablet
You must sit still with it so it does not get broken
You must ask before clicking on any ads that pop up on screen
When time is up, time is up, no arguing!

We have a kindle fire, and enjoy looking at kids books together at bedtime, but not in replacement. We would love to win an iPad as this is the tablet dd uses at school, so it would be great for her to synchronise her learning

my son is 6 years old and we have a kindle fire! The kindle is really good for parental controls. You can set a time limit on how long the child can play games/ watch tv for. With him only being 6 i don't have to worry about mobile phone usage yet! Phew! lol

My children are 9, 6 and 2, our rules are no mobile until they start high school. When they are allowed phones they will be switched off at bed time and left downstairs.

Rules for tablet/ds/x box use...

Ask before using any of the above.
Only to be used after tea and homework or in the car.
No Xbox live until next year or maybe the year after. No specified age limit given yet just told they are too young at the moment.
Parental controls/saftey set (by dp, I don't know the specifics)
Only age appropriate games allowed.

Not at the breakfast/lunch/dinner table.

We have a limit on when devices are used and a switch off time for brains to cool off before bed. We also monitor all the sites used and have parental controls on.

DH has a laptop and an iphone
I have a laptop and an iphone
We have two ordinary Kindles which do not connect to the Internet.

The children (7 & 9) have access to the laptops and iphones only for using Skype to contact relatives, e.g. grandma. They can use the Kindles whenever they like, until bedtime.

For myself, I tend to turn off all technology at about 10:30pm. DH often carries on surfing the net until gone midnight.

Phones off overnight

Children too young to have their own phones yet but are allowed to use mine when supervised.

no looking at your phone when people are talking to you

We have 4 DC under 10. We gave quite strict rules, but we make sure we always explain the reasons behind them, especially around internet safety. We obviously have filters and parental controls on too. Rules are:-

-if you are not old enough to be away from us on your own, you don't need a mobile phone.
-no using mum's or dad's mobiles without permission.
-no games consoles or devices during the week in term-time, unless needed for homework.
-you can only access the internet in the same room as a parent. That way we can see or hear if it is inappropriate.
-never share your actual name or any personal information online.
-if it's not U or PG, or rated your age or under, you can't watch it or play it. If all children are watching, it has to be appropriate for the youngest child present.
-it's not safe to download anything without permission.
-if the battery runs out whilst you are using a device, plug it in to charge.
-when you have finished using a device, make sure you close it down properly, leave it secure and in the right/ a safe place.
-no use of devices at meal times.
-take turns using a timer and if there are any arguments, it will be removed.
-at least the last hour before bed is device free, winding down time.

confiscated if rude/cheeky

Game's consuls go off around 8pm and mobiles by 8.30 kids need to chill before they go to bed

All gadgets off at 8pm. And I will look at your history on the router.

Only dh and me have gadgets. dc is too young at 19 months

My son Is 14 and doesnt want a phone,he has an Ipad and computer,weekends and holidays he does stay up really late,If there Is school the next day all has to be switched off at a certain time