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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Anyones teens not have a game console??

29 replies

shellstarbarley · 01/08/2021 13:37

Just wondered if there is anyone on here whose kids do not have a games console. Mine are 15 and 14 and show no interest whatsoever. They have phones and watch a lot of you tube. I have friends who can't get their kids off them so feel very lucky but haven't come across any one in real life with older kids or teens who don't have consoles.

OP posts:
WhiskeyNeverStartsToTasteNice · 01/08/2021 15:11

DD14 doesn't. Not interested in gaming. But watches loads of TV.

lannistunut · 01/08/2021 15:14

None of mine have, never been an issue (so far). No sign of the adult ones getting them after leaving.

FunTimes2020 · 01/08/2021 15:15

My DD is older, now 19, but has never had a games console apart from a Wii in the lounge (DH got it!) that she used to play with friends very occasionally. I don't think any of her close female friends have ever been gamers as far as I know. Even my two nephews rarely played although did have consoles. They prefer out door stuff, cycling, swimming, gym.

AlexaShutUp · 01/08/2021 15:16

DD is 16 and doesn't have one. She isn't interested. She prefers real life socialising and active hobbies such as dance, drama etc. Also works part time so not much time left over for screens of any sort. I don't think gaming is that much of a thing for teenage girls, though some are obviously really into it. It does seem to be more common amongst boys, but again, not all of them are into it.

Geamhradh · 01/08/2021 15:20

Never shown any interest.
I teach 14-18 year olds and tbh, I don't think "gaming" is nearly as common in that age group as we imagine. In my 11 classes, I reckon only about 10-15 kids in total cite gaming as a hobby. The vast majority are boys.

AllTheSingleLadiess · 01/08/2021 15:21

Are your kids boys or girls? It's not uncommon for girls not to own a console ime

lannistunut · 01/08/2021 15:26

@AllTheSingleLadiess

Are your kids boys or girls? It's not uncommon for girls not to own a console ime
Some of mine are boys, it just isn't something anyone was interested in.
Original poster
shellstarbarley · 01/08/2021 15:30

15 yr old girl and 13 yr old boy. We are quite an active family so when they were little we were always out and about. DH has never gamed so wasn't really ever a thing. They both enjoy performing so they watch clips and sing and dance rather than sit and game.

OP posts:
DaisyWaldron · 01/08/2021 15:33

Mine don't. They like gaming, but take turns on the family PC. We've asked if they would like one, either as a main shared Christmas present or to spend their money on, but they've always said that they don't think would enjoy one enough for either of those things.

caughtinanet · 01/08/2021 15:34

One of my teens has no interest in games consoles, I"'ve never thought it was unusual but maybe that's because they weren't around when I was growing up so aren't really on my radar

Seeline · 01/08/2021 15:35

19yo DS and 17yo DD - no console in the house. DS wanted one when he was about 13 but we held off as getting him to do any school work was already an issue - no need for any further distraction!

TooWicked · 01/08/2021 15:36

DS (18) has never had any interest in gaming or games consoles.

We have a 10 year old (ish) Playstation 3 gathering dust in the TV cabinet.

OxanaVorontsova · 01/08/2021 15:37

H has an ancient Xbox but my teens show very little interest in it. We used to have a Wii when they were little. One of them is in to Minecraft on the laptop but beyond that nothing.

Roomba · 01/08/2021 15:46

My 15 yo has access to the PS4 at his dad's house, and is welcome to use it whenever he likes, but never bothers with it. Same with my 9yo.

15 yo is always on his laptop though, playing a mix of single player and multilayer games with his friends. Plus the twice weekly Dungeons & Dragons sessions that go on fours hours with him bellowing into his mic about orcs/The Dwarfish Communist Republic of Whereverland Grin Drived me up the wall as you can tell. But no one can interrupt him or its the end of the (dwarvish) universe... He tends to use his phone for video watching and messaging people on Discord, not playing games.

My 9yo plays stuff like Minecraft and Terraria on his laptop and would watch endless YouTube videos if allowed, but happily stops when asked to and is happy to entertain himself in other (usually messy) ways. He'll spend hours crafting, performing 'experiments', playing sports and so on.

I suppose I'd be hypocritical if I complained they used screens too much. I spend my childhood being told off for spending too much time on my Spectrum ZX64k, my Amiga, then teens on my SNES (female gamers existed then and now though I rarely play anything these days, no time!) Grin

ValerieMalone · 01/08/2021 16:02

My two boys ages 14 and 15 are into gaming and it’s been an absolute lifeline during the lockdowns. They wouldn’t call their friends to chat but they would “hang out” with them while gaming. But they know there are limits and they mostly don’t argue it too much. When they were younger they would watch some truly vapid YouTubers and I actually prefer the gaming because they are interacting with each other and friends rather than just staring at a screen watching ads and internalizing what I think are not the best messages about consumerism, health, gender and their own self-worth.
They do lots of sports and we keep busy in other ways so they’re not at it for hours on end but it’s been a good way to connect with friends when real life socializing was impossible.

lannistunut · 01/08/2021 16:25

I think if you have a household where you don't have any interest then if lucky the time to get started on them just passes. I have one left so still a small amount of time for it to become a thing but am so glad we didn't have them, they are the source of so many arguments in friends' homes.

Redhotchilis · 01/08/2021 20:54

DCs 12 and 14 here, one boy, one girl. Neither ever asked for consoles. They are both very sporty and outdoorsy though so gaming isn't their interest.

They do love TV shows and movies though.

BlitzenandMikey · 04/08/2021 17:24

Two teens here (13 and 16) and neither have games consols of any description.

DS (13) does have an fancy scooter though! Absolutely loves it and does his paper round on it daily.

JadziaSnax · 04/08/2021 17:31

DS (15) is not in the slightest bit interested in console gaming, he prefers PC gaming. DD (8) plays a couple of games on my switch but that's about it. Its me that has the consoles Blush

Floralnomad · 04/08/2021 17:36

My daughter is early 20s and she never had a console , lots of access if she wanted to as our son ( only here pt ) has various versions of all of them except the switch , although we did have a couple of Wii’s at one point . She has never been interested in gaming

Lilymum137 · 06/08/2021 22:16

My 13 year old son has a PS4. He plays all different sorts of games on there. He’s only allowed to play on weekends and holidays. I’ve had to take away the controllers (and sometimes the console) several times if he spends too much time on it, refuses to come off when I tell him, or for bad behaviour. He likes to go straight onto the games when he wakes up, and would play all night if I let him. If he’s playing all day, he would probably forget about or refuse meals because he prefers the games, and he’s always been a fussy boy. All I hear is the very loud fan from the console and him talking to his friends or other random people he plays with through the headset. He has a small bedroom so his room gets hot. His older brother is buying him a PS5 which was supposed to be for his birthday, but they are currently hard to find. My kids used to play XBOX and Wii sports/mario kart.

Bluntness100 · 06/08/2021 22:19

I wouldn’t consider myself lucky if my child didn’t game, it helps worh some excellent skills, from boosting grey matter to better memory and problem solving, it’s a huge plus done in moderation.

Goodallsfolly · 06/08/2021 22:20

Two teen dds here, one 18 years and one 17 yr old. (One mine and one "borrowed".) Neither have ever had a games console. They both ride horses, have pt student jobs & watch a lot of Netflix!

Bryonyshcmyony · 06/08/2021 22:21

We have one (a ps4) but we bought it for dh

None of the dcs have ever played it except for Minecraft briefly (15,18, 21)

Bryonyshcmyony · 06/08/2021 22:22

@Bluntness100

I wouldn’t consider myself lucky if my child didn’t game, it helps worh some excellent skills, from boosting grey matter to better memory and problem solving, it’s a huge plus done in moderation.
Yes I agree and I play a bit But the dcs are not interested Horses, YouTube, films