My 6 year old throws an absolute fit every time I take the iPad away. He was on it for like 45 minutes before dinner and I felt guilty cutting him off but everyone says too much screen time is bad. What's the actual limit supposed to be? Is an hour a day too much? He says all his friends have way more access and honestly I don't know what the normal is anymore.
45 minutes is nothing man, my 6 year old would camp on the iPad for 3 hours straight if I let her. The tantrums are brutal. What helped us was setting a timer before we even hand it over so he knows when it's ending. Still gets mad but somehow it's less of a surprise meltdown.
The guilt is real but you're doing the right thing limiting screen time before dinner. We all hit this wall with our kids. Stay consistent with the boundary and the fits will eventually pass.
Don't feel bad about cutting him off, that's actually good parenting. The addiction is real but it sounds like your instincts are solid. Keep the limits firm and offer something else fun instead.
Have you tried replacing it with something else that keeps his hands busy? My oldest would lose it until we set up a Lego station next to where the iPad usually sat. Not a perfect fix but at least he has an alternative when the withdrawal hits.
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This is exactly where I'm at. The worst part is when you're tired and just want peace and quiet so you cave. Then you feel like you lost the whole day. Started doing screen-free zones after dinner and it's helped a bit but the battle is real.