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Teenagers

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

Original poster

Games consoles in bedroom or living room?

26 replies

DataColour · 09/03/2023 11:07

Currently having a debate with DH regarding whether to take out DS's (14) xbox downstairs.

Where do your teens have theirs?

Thanks!

OP posts:
moonpixel · 09/03/2023 11:08

In their bedroom. I don't want to share my living room with a gaming teenager. I rarely watch TV but when I do I like to enjoy it. It's healthy for teens to have their own space.

Nimbostratus100 · 09/03/2023 11:09

Living room, and have never regretted it, they are in the heart of the family, not shut away on their own - they can be playing in the same room I am working/eating/surfing the net/ mumsnetting.

The friends they play with online know I am often in the same room, and we shout greetings at each other

Nimbostratus100 · 09/03/2023 11:10

moonpixel · 09/03/2023 11:08

In their bedroom. I don't want to share my living room with a gaming teenager. I rarely watch TV but when I do I like to enjoy it. It's healthy for teens to have their own space.

They have their own spaces too, but the games consule isn't in it

Original poster
DataColour · 09/03/2023 11:10

We have a front living room that is separate from the back kitchen/dining/living space, so won't impinge on family life.

OP posts:
WandaWonder · 09/03/2023 11:10

We started in the living room as our child was younger but now a teenager the habit is still the living room non of seems bothered so it stays there

Original poster
DataColour · 09/03/2023 11:12

Main issue is that DS locks to his bedroom door when playing and I don't like it. DH things I'm being mean.
Plus DS has on obsessive nature and can't stop thinking about it when he should be doing his homework.

OP posts:
Tiredbehyondbelief · 09/03/2023 11:19

I have 2 boys - 14 and 12. I refuse for them to take their computers to the bedrooms - they are both playing in the living room even though my husband is complaining about it. I feel the teenagers can always get into mischief with internet on their phones if they want to. However I feel better half knowing what they are up to online. Also, we are little bit more as a family if I can see them in the front room, there are more opportunitites to interact. My children always feel they have to apologise to their friends about my behaviour - "My mum thinks I will just go and so something stupid" - in reference to that poor boy on TV last summer. I still refuse to budge. Things could be different for you as your children already have computers in their bedrooms 2. what does your husband think?

Believeitornot · 09/03/2023 11:20

No screens in bedroom allowed in our house except phones. We have a study for gaming plus the living room.

DS is 13. I do let him have the Xbox in his room during the holidays when he hasn’t got homework etc.

moonpixel · 09/03/2023 11:24

They have their own spaces too, but the games consule isn't in it

Yes I understand that. Perhaps I didn't use enough words. Let me do it again...

'It's healthy for teens to have their own space when using said consoles'

I'm sorry I assumed as we were discussing console usage that my comment would be taken as about console usage.

Henowner · 09/03/2023 11:25

DataColour · 09/03/2023 11:10

We have a front living room that is separate from the back kitchen/dining/living space, so won't impinge on family life.

Ours is in the front living room, DS has quite a good setup with a sofa, homework shelves and a laptop, but there's plenty of space as he's an only child. He does let me go in there if I want to 😅

Xrays · 09/03/2023 11:25

I think at 14 a bedroom is fine, but obviously I’d be concerned about who they’re talking to etc but I think by them the horse has bolted really and if they have a smart phone you have to just have regular discussions about online safety and hope they’ve listened to you! And obviously rules about everything going off at a decent time of night so they aren’t playing all night long.

Both my dh and Ds aged 11 love the Xbox and so ours is in the living room, which does annoy me as basically it’s on almost constantly unless we specifically want to watch Tv. But then again we all sit together and chat and interact with each other as we’re all together. I just tend to knit or go on my phone!

aSofaNearYou · 09/03/2023 11:25

If I had a second living room so others could watch tv while the console was on then I'd put it downstairs. Otherwise, probably in the bedroom with restrictions on usage.

moonpixel · 09/03/2023 11:25

DataColour · 09/03/2023 11:10

We have a front living room that is separate from the back kitchen/dining/living space, so won't impinge on family life.

Then I would absolutely put it in there.

Dacadactyl · 09/03/2023 11:27

It'd 100% be in our living room in your circumstances.

DS 10 has a console and we only have one living room, so he plays on it in there. If we want to watch something, he has to come off.

We don't allow screens of any description in bedrooms.

ItsHannahBackwards · 09/03/2023 11:58

We only had consoles downstairs (in a playroom, not taking over main lounge) til our kids were about 12, then they wanted them in their bedrooms.

Now they have consoles and PC in their bedrooms, but we do keep the switch in a family room downstairs as we all play on that. Most teens seem to have them in bedrooms ime.

Illbeready · 09/03/2023 12:00

My sons have consoles in their bedrooms. They don't go daft on them and come off them when asked.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/03/2023 12:01

We have the PS5 in the living room and a Switch dock. Then they both have a switch dock in their rooms. And in DS2s room (as his is bigger) they have a PS1, PS4 and an original Nintendo cube thingy. They don't play upstairs much unless friends are over. Mine are 9 and 11

Floralnomad · 09/03/2023 12:06

Mine had theirs in their rooms , but we also had some in our smaller lounge

PritiPatelsMaker · 09/03/2023 15:59

I never let them have games consoles in their bedrooms at that age. We are lucky though that we had another room downstairs where it could go.

lailamaria · 09/03/2023 16:53

i don't understand why you're upset that he's locking his door when playing it

Jillcole77 · 10/03/2023 01:52

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
DataColour · 19/03/2023 21:51

I don't like him locking the door because I can't communicate with him when needed as he doesn't open the door when asked, saying he will be a minute etc. It's really annoying. We have to keep knocking on his door shouting at him to come down for dinner or now it's time to do your homework or he has chores to do etc. It's really draining.

Thanks for all your responses. It's good to get an idea of what others do.

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 19/03/2023 21:52

Our kids rooms are off a small landing which is big enough for a tv, games console and a couple of beanbags. So the console is there.

aSofaNearYou · 20/03/2023 08:21

DataColour · 19/03/2023 21:51

I don't like him locking the door because I can't communicate with him when needed as he doesn't open the door when asked, saying he will be a minute etc. It's really annoying. We have to keep knocking on his door shouting at him to come down for dinner or now it's time to do your homework or he has chores to do etc. It's really draining.

Thanks for all your responses. It's good to get an idea of what others do.

If he does this I'd get rid of his lock tbh. I never had one as a kid - he can still close it for privacy and you wouldn't have to start barging in. But if he's routinely behaving like this, I wouldn't give him a lock.

JazbayGrapes · 20/03/2023 17:32

You can remotely control console if you want to limit his screen time