Time Out for Video Games
Question:
We're struggling with an issue regarding time limits on the TV and Playstation with our 10-year-old son. I have allowed him one hour per day during the school week and two hours per day on weekends. (This is especially a problem when his friends come over. Most of them are allowed to play and watch as much as they want.) He is an A student and hardly ever brings homework home because he gets it done at school. However, my main concern is his lack of exercise and his physical health. He is a stocky boy, although the doctor said his weight is not a concern at this time. Are we being too strict? Any suggestions?
Answer:
It is difficult to set limits for children when so few other parents are doing the same. But congratulations for daring to act in your son's best long-term interests. It is well-documented that, on average, American children (and adults, for that matter) live very sedentary lives. Combined with our typical high-fat, high-calorie diet, this contributes to significant health problems, including increasing rates of childhood obesity and diabetes. Even if a child's weight currently is "not a concern" as your doctor says about your son, an inactive lifestyle in childhood can contribute to health problems later in life. Apart from the physical consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, too much "screen time" cuts into opportunities for other activities. And that doesn't even get to questions about the content of TV and video games.
With that said, making exercise into a "must do" and TV/Playstation into "forbidden fruit" can backfire, leading a child to avoid physical activity even more fiercely. So what's a parent to do?
*In a loving way, explain your reasons for limiting screen time, reminding your son that it's a parent's job to make decisions with a child's health and well-being in mind.
*To give your son a sense of choice, engage him in making decisions about when and how to use his allotted screen time. For example, he might want to bank his time and use some of it in a larger block on a day when his friends come over. Alternatively, perhaps he could earn an extra hour of screen time for doing a household task that demands some exertion, such as raking the lawn or shoveling snow.
*Many kids today seem to have trouble thinking of things to do other than being entertained by a TV show or video game. So try broadening the interests of your son, and his friends by introducing other kinds of non-electronic games and activities.
*Model a healthy balance of interests in your own life, including plenty of enjoyable physical activities.
*Look for fun physical things to do together as a family--biking, hiking, swimming, inline skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, volleyball, touch football, whatever catches your fancy.
*Finally, seek out other parents and share your concern about helping the kids find a better balance in their lives. If even a handful of parents would unite to set common limits and encourage a healthier lifestyle, everyone's job would be easier. And now, when your son is 10 years old, is the time to do this. As the kids move toward their teens, a network of concerned and involved parents will be the key to encouraging healthy behaviors in all aspects of the young people's lives.
Editor's Note: Dr. Martha Farrell Erickson, director of the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth and Family Consortium, invites your questions on child rearing for possible inclusion in this column. E-mail to mferick@tc.umn.edu or write to Growing Concerns, University of Minnesota News Service, 6 Morrill Hall, 100 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
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