How Much TV Time and Video Games?

They watch them whenever they want. My TV is on a lot while I am doing other stuff so theirs is too.

I find it interesting that some Moms are so strict on limiting TV to an EXACT time. My children are happy, intelligent, and active without my micro-managing of their screen time. My advice would just be to keep them busy with activies and quality family time, and the screen-time will take care of itself.

Well I might be seen as a bad parent, but we don't limit TV and very often limit the video games. Usually the TV is on all the time. We have 16, 14 and 5 year old. The 14 and 5 year, both boys, play video games a lot, especially the 5 year old when he comes home from preschool. Our older kids are A's students, our middle son is also in all athletics so he doesn't always play video games when he gets home, but he does watch TV while he does his homework, so does our oldest. Both the 16 & 14 year olds are on their phones most of the time, have to text all the time, even while doing homework. As long as it's not at the dinner table we are fine with it. My husband usually will be playing video games with the kids, I do once in awhile, but I enjoy watching or watching my shows after a long day of work...
When the weather is nice, my husband takes our youngest outside to play before I get home from work. We are the strict type of parents, pretty laid back, and only if grades slack do we take privileges away.
I do remember when our older kids where in grade school, my husband would have the TV on sports center or politics when they got home, and they did have to do homework as soon as they got home, then they had the rest of the night to relax. Our kids are well behaved, and get A's and once in awhile a B.

I am a nanny for a family. the kids are 7 and 10. they are allowed 30 minutes of what the dad calls screen time. this is any screen time. 30 minutes per day total. so it covers, video game, including handheld, computer, tv etc. they don't fight it as it is all they have ever known. they have asked occasionally if they can have extra and the rule is you can have as much extra as the extra that you read. these kids play, and read and have fun without all the negative stuff I see so often in kids I have cared for. as far as it being exhausting all day long. do the school thing for the 6 and half hours required and then send them on their way to go play. you don't need to be entertaining them 24 hours a day. Kids who stand and whine "there's nothing to do....." drive me nuts lol. Nothing worse than trying to have a conversation with someone who can't finish a sentence without stopping to talk to a kid who only wants attention because they don't' know how to play alone for 5 minutes. When my own kids did that I would find them a job to do. dusting, sweeping, vacuuming etc. believe me they found something to do pretty quick lol.

1 hr a day has always been my rule regardless of where this hour takes place or if it gets split up! Look for indoor local free activities that are age appropriate for your children and you’d be surprised at how fast your days will fill up! Plus your house will stay cleaner 

My kids are 6, 5, and 3. They are not homeschooled, my 6 year old is in 1st grade and gone from 9 to 4. My 5 year old is in preschool 3 a.m.'s a week.

We limit TV time to only 1/2 hour per day, and not every day.

My younger two do get that 1/2 hour more often than the older one... he generally doesn't really watch TV during the week, sometimes on Friday we have a movie night so they'll get more then.

We don't do video games.

We only rarely give computer time, only because my kids rarely ask for it.

DS just turned 6. We have no video games (he did get to play some over Thanksgiving when his older cousins visited) and no scheduled tv time. He does occasionally (every 2-3 weeks) see 1/2 hour of a nature DVD (DH and him are working through 'The Blue Planet') and he gets to sometimes watch part of the football playoffs.

School nights usually no game system or computer (unless it is needed for school), maybe once a week we will let her play on the computer or game system for an hour during the shcool week. For TV no more then an hour of her programs. As a family during the winter/cold weather we play a game & in the background have on 'how it's made' or some other "learning type" tv. We focus more on reading a book or playing with toys/crafts instead of game system, tv or computer.

On the weekend or nonschool days she can play 1 hour on the game system or computer. TV time is about one hour to 1 1/2 hours. We do not let her do any of those without all homework done, all of her other stuff cleaned up, and has spent 1-2 hours on physical activity (play outside or imagination play).

My daughter is 5 1/2 years old. At first she hated the rules but after a year of doing the above she knows it is the norm, she asks sometimes and if we say no she may be sad but understands that she does not always get to use it.

I don't homeschool, but here are my rules.

Morning TV is OK in the kitchen/dining room is OK as long as you are making or eating breakfast, or have finished eating. We have no issues with TV being a distraction from getting off to school on time. It does unfortunately, motivate my youngest to get up WAY too early, in my opinion. But she controls her own alarm clock, I would never wake her earlier for more TV time. I'd rather have her get the extra sleep.

My 4th grader gets home from school at about 4:20. She has to do at least some subjects of her homework right after a small snack. Then she can have some screen time in the short time before dinner. She sometimes watches TV or plays Wii. When it's not winter, she often go outside and plays instead, but no one wants to be playing outside now, brrrrr!

My oldest gets home much later, at 5:15, so I allow her to unwind with some screen time before dinner. She's usually snacking and texting.

After dinner on school nights we have a no TV or video games rule. The kids are doing homework or reading before bed. I have allowed my youngest to listen to music on her Ipod and allowed my oldest to also listen to music and have her cell phone while she does homework, but I'm watching that and will adjust as I see necessary. My youngest just yesterday had a very hard time stopping playing with the Ipod to read and go to bed, so starting tonight that is going away on school nights possibly until she earns the privilege back with good behavior.

After 9pm Ipods and 12 year old's cell phone and laptop go up in my bedroom so we have no late night temptations. Neither kid has TV in their room.

We just have basic cable. My kids LOVE Netflix, they really need limits on it. So we allow it only on Fri/Sat or non-school nights if they have good behavior.

to be honest the only restriction I have on the TV is no TV in your room on school nights- both boys have tv in their room but are absolutely not allowed to watch it on school nights. Video games are restricted to "okay thats long enough" usually as long as I can take the noise, or the arguing. I cant put time restrictions on the tv on the weekends because it is all sports all the time so if I actually tried to restrict a football game there would be a serious revolt!

my kids go to public schools and here is what we do...
on school nights (Sunday night from dinner til Friday after school) No TV,video games, etc. The kids may listen to music and use Nook or other electronic readers,etc but no games or tv. NO tv in the morning- music is ok to get ready by...but if you are doing more dancing than dressing- you loose that too. Books can not be touched until the entire morning checklist is done- so if all you have left is shoes and coat and out the door-then it is ok to pick up a book or color or whatever, just dont interfer with anyone else getting ready. But still no tv or games.
My kids are active in sports so we are gone for at least an hour or more every evening anyway. So with homework, sports or other activities, chores, dinner, etc there isnt a ton of free time anyway. What we do have is spent, reading (my kids LOVE to read) playing board games, the younger two play toys or makeup some silly game, play outside if its nice enough and not dark,etc. We spend alot of quality family time together...would be be easier to let them just watch tv- ofcourse it would- but wheres the fun in that ;)

My kids are 12 and 9. They get home from school at 3:30. They have a snack and watch tv or wii until 4pm and then we start homework. After homework, they go outside to play with the neighborhood kids while I make dinner. We eat dinner between 5:30-6 and then we go for a walk as a family. Then when we get home, they have about an hour for tv or wii (they play together or share time). Then its showers at 7:30 and in their rooms at 8pm where there is NO electronics at all (handheld since there is no tv in their rooms) and its quiet time so they can fall asleep when they are ready. they are usually asleep by 8:30 or 9. We stick with this schedule every weeknight and the kids know what to expect, it has really helped since they are ADD and ADHD. During the weekend we give them more time, depending on how much other things we do.

we get home by 5:30 and then she plays with one of us while one of us cooks and then after dinner arnd 6:30 or7 she can watch tv but usually its only enough time for one show then bedtime routine. Sometimes we go a few days with no time for tv. When i first moved in we didnt even have a tv for a month, and I actually miss that. Other times like friday nights when she stays up late or saturdays she can watch up to two movies in a row....i hate that though and ussually force her to go outside with M. if i'm not lazy or feeling sick=)

Shes 5 btw, oh and she doesnt care for electronics much unless its my phone

Since we are not home until around 6:00, it's homework first and any time left after homework, dinner and bath time she is free to use the computer. I do let her use it pretty much any time she wants on the weekends.

I would limit both to nothing-just speaking from experience! If you want to keep them busy-teach them how to run a house.

Well, I use to have the TV on all day long, very few of the shows where for my kids.
Funny weird thing, my oldest barely cares about tv, she most rather go to devian art or paint.
My toddler likes very few shows that she actually stop playing and watch.
So the tv was there for me mostly, I feel weird in a silent home, correction, is never silent because of my toddler now, but just no adult conversation.
But all since we move, without trying I have barely turn the tv on, I am exited.
While you can find some good educational shows on tv, and I always oppouse to the idea that kids don't learn nothing from it since my kid many times learned things that I didn't thought she was ready, I do agree that there are some skills like socializing.
Anyway, I don't have rules but things go like this most days now:
tv in the mornings for my toddler, she is an early bird but I need a few minutes to go through my waking up process.
Then tv while I cook if necessary.
TV for my older when she comes from school sometimes for about half hour.
Then so far no more tv until the night for me, but because I have being so into mamapedia lately not even then.

None during the week for my 6 yo son. 1 hr on Sat and Sun each w/a choice of TV/movie/video game, and that only after he reads books for 1/2 hr and plays outside/rides his bike, which he is supposed to do anyway every day.

We do let him play his DS if we have to travel in the car for more than 30 mins. This is once a week to skating practice, and then on any road trip.

Our only exception is Fri night which is family movie night. We watch a family friendly movie, pig out on junk food and play board games until we drop....or mommy needs a drink from all the chaos of the week.

We don't homeschool, so it's we have a different situation, but our boys are 7 and 14, and we limit TV and gaming. They get 30 minutes of TV or gaming/computer time on school nights unless they are watching a show with the family. If we're all watching a show together, it doesn't count against them. Also, school projects/homework on the computer don't count against them. We keep a timer near the computer, and they keep track of the time themselves. They're surprisingly honest about keeping track of the time. :)

We aren't strict about it on the weekends, but I don't let them just be blobs on the weekends either. They can't just play video games all weekend long. They have to get up and get moving (and interact with the rest of us).

This has worked pretty well for us for the past few years.