12 year old won't put the Switch down, killing our family time

Apr 28·1 min read

Guys, I'm at my wit's end. My son literally plays Mario Kart or Fortnite for like 5-6 hours straight on weekends if we let him. We tried setting limits but he just sneaks it upstairs and plays in bed. His grades are fine which is weird but his mom and I feel like we barely see him anymore. Anyone else dealing with this? Is it just the age or are we missing something with how we're handling it?

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Comments(4)

EEvan M.New DadApr 30

5-6 hours straight is brutal. We had the same problem with our oldest and had to go nuclear - physical limits on the Switch itself through parental controls, plus a hard cutoff time. It sucked at first but family time came back pretty quick.

JJoeRegularApr 29

The Switch is tough because the games are designed to hook them. Have you tried replacing that time with something he actually wants to do? Can't just take it away without offering something back.

CChris R.RegularApr 29

Your son might not even realize how long he's playing. Try using screen time tools to show him the actual numbers. Sometimes seeing it laid out makes them care more. We got better buy-in once our kids saw their own data.

MMarcusNew DadApr 29

That's a rough stage. Honestly 12 is when they start getting real money if they have chores - made ours choose between game time and saving for stuff they wanted. Changed the dynamic completely.