iPad addiction getting out of hand

Jul 291 min read

My 6yo has basically become an iPad zombie. Started with educational apps during lockdown and now she screams bloody murder when I try to take it away. Tried the whole reward system thing but nothing sticks. Any parents actually had success breaking this cycle or am I just doomed to raise a screen addict? Wife thinks I'm overreacting but I can see the difference in her behavior after 2 hours of Roblox.

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6 comments121 views

Comments(6)

JJoeRegularJul 31

I vacuum daily so I see all the crumbs of chaos around here, and I gotta say the iPad thing gets worse if you don't set hard boundaries early. No screens during meals, no screens in certain rooms. Consistency is everything.

JJake M.RegularJul 31

The iPad zombie phase is real. My kid got there around the same age. What finally worked was replacing it with something else engaging, not just taking it away. We got a cheap beginner coding robot and she's way more into that now.

MMatt S.RegularJul 29

Ugh, I feel this. We had the same battle with my 7 year old. Set a hard time limit and stick to it, even through the screaming. Takes patience but they bounce back faster than you'd think.

DDerek P.RegularJul 29

That's a tough one. I had to cut back screen time with my kids and honestly it was easier said than done. The meltdowns are real but they do adjust after a week or so.

JJoshuaExperiencedJul 30

Yeah this was us during lockdown too. Educational apps turned into YouTube and TikTok real quick. We had to go cold turkey for two weeks and it was rough but her attention span came back. Might be worth trying a hard reset.

SSean M.RegularJul 30

This is the thing though. My kids do like 90 mins of screen time on weekends but we're actually gaming together, not her just zoning out. The difference is huge. Maybe try finding something you can actually play WITH her instead of her just scrolling?