How Long Can My Child Play Video Games?
The alarm clock goes off. The best way to avoid gaming addiction is to set time limits. If children and young people are not allowed or able to spend more than two or three hours on the computer a day, they are less likely to develop a gaming addiction. Set other activities (check this out – https://medium.com/@playtime) for your kid’s entertainment
How Long Should Kids Play Video Games
It can be very difficult to set time limits for displays fairly. After all, there are so many different electrical devices with screens that we use every day. There is your child’s computer, but also the television, his smartphone, tablet, and any game consoles. It is still recommended not to sit at a screen for more than two to three hours a day. This does depend on the age of your child: the older, the more time they can spend behind a screen. For more information on time limits by age, see our specific age guidelines for young children, elementary school children, or high school teens.
Watch a screen for a maximum of twenty minutes at a time
From a medical point of view, it is recommended that children (and young people up to the age of twenty) are not closely exposed to the screen for more than twenty minutes at a time. This is for example looking at a screen like that of a tablet or telephone. This stimulates the development of myopia. Myopia makes you have to wear glasses, but it also puts you at an increased risk for various eye conditions.
Time limits are therefore very important for both the physical and mental health of your child. It is therefore best to stick to the maximum limit of three hours, especially when it comes to gaming. Within those three hours, there should also be time for regular breaks, so that your child is not constantly playing in the same position. In between, he or she can, for example, play outside or do homework.
Use digital parental controls
It can be very difficult to control children when it comes to screen time. While some experts say it’s okay to allow your children to play game consoles even for long hours, there’s still a pinch of worry that the kind of games they play can make a huge impact on their behavior and personality. But this is not always true. Parents can avoid negative impacts brought on by video gaming by alternating activities.
Complying with time limits is difficult. Your child probably doesn’t want to stop playing. In addition, it is also difficult for you as a parent to constantly keep track of time. Fortunately, there is a good, simple solution for this: use digital parental controls to limit your child’s internet use. Many parental controls allow you to limit the amount of time your child can spend on an app each day.