My DS is 12.5 and I am at my wits' end. He is lazy, grumpy, rude, refuses to do anything other the bare minimum of school work . . . . All of which I could deal with but much of it seems to stem from a total obsession with his phone and his xbox, but particularly his phone and watching total rubbish on youtube.
We limit both of these (ie he only gets a certain amount of gaming and internet access a day, which we can and do extend at the weekends, especially if he is gaming with a friend), and he is not allowed either in his bedroom.
He does football and also an afterschool club once a week and goes to church once a week. Other than these activities and school itself, all he wants to do is spend endless time online or gaming.
It is so anti-social and he has the concentration span of a gnat as a result. Any requests to do something else are met with fury from him.
It is really worrying me because he doesn't seem to know what else to do with himself. He will read but only in bed in the evenings. He refuses to read a book or magazine or do anything else in the day that doesn't involve a screen. Even regular TV isn't good enough, though it is better than no screen at all. He won't go out for a walk unless practically dragged out the house. He will do some chores but only if told that the phone and xbox will go if he doesn't.
It is worrying and depressing. I don't know what to do. Do I need to attempt a digital detox?