Gaming addiction or normal 13yo behavior?

May 2·1 min read

My son plays video games probably 3-4 hours on school days and way more on weekends. His grades are slipping, he's not doing homework until the last minute, and he gets genuinely upset if I tell him he needs to stop. I know gaming is normal for kids his age but this feels like something more. Anyone else deal with this? Wondering if I should look into actual help or if I just need to be firmer with the boundaries.

3 comments170 views

Comments(3)

MMiguelRegularMay 4

At 13 that's definitely on the high end. I've read a lot about this and the consensus seems to be 1-2 hours max for school nights, a bit more on weekends. The thing is, it's a habit forming fast at that age. If you don't set boundaries now it only gets worse. Trust me on this one.

JJoeRegularMay 4

I'd look at what he's actually playing too. Some games are way more addictive than others. My kid got hooked on this one battle royale game and it was brutal. We ended up switching him to stuff with natural stopping points. Also helped to have other activities he was excited about so gaming wasn't the only option.

PPedroRegularMay 4

3-4 hours on school days is pretty heavy. My son is 11 and we capped him at 1.5 hours on weeknights. What are his grades actually looking like though? That's the real metric. If he's maintaining A's and B's, maybe it's fine. If they're slipping, time to have a hard conversation about balance.