How do you handle gaming limits with a teenager?

1d ago·1 min read

My 14 year old is absolutely obsessed with Fortnite and Valorant. He's a decent student so we haven't put down hard rules but lately it's getting out of hand. He's asking for a gaming PC for his birthday which I'm considering but only if we nail down some boundaries first. I don't want to be the bad guy but also don't want him gaming 6 hours after school. How do other parents handle this? Do you set time limits or just trust them to self regulate?

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Comments(3)

EEvan M.New Dadjust now

14 is such a tough age for this stuff. My oldest is similar with Valorant and honestly I've stopped fighting it as much as I used to. Instead we made a deal - grades stay where they are, he can play. But if they slip, we reset the limits. Seems to work better than just saying no because it gives him ownership.

MMasonNew Dad8h ago

Okay so the decent student thing is actually the key here. I'd say lean into that. Tell him you see he's managing school and gaming, so you trust him to keep managing it. But maybe set a hard cutoff on school nights? My 14 year old responds way better to being treated like an almost-adult than to restrictions.

JJoeRegular1d ago

lol my 13 year old would lose his mind if I tried to limit Valorant. I've basically accepted that if the homework is done and grades are okay, it's not my hill to die on. Just make sure he's not staying up until 3am on school nights.