6 year old wants to watch YouTube and play games on my tablet. Wife and I are trying to figure out what's actually healthy vs what parenting articles tell us. 2 hours seems like a lot but we also want him to have some fun. What do most of you do?
Two hours on weekends seems reasonable to me if it's quality stuff and not just mindless scrolling. My 6 year old gets screen time but we try to mix it with actual playtime outside or building stuff. The articles stress me out more than the actual screen time does honestly.
Real talk - I'm still figuring this out with my two. Two hours doesn't sound crazy to me, but watch what's actually on that tablet. Some stuff is better than others. We set time limits and stick to them, which helps more than the amount itself.
I'd say 2 hours is fine as long as it's not every single weekend activity. My kids are athletes so weekends are usually packed with practice and games anyway, but when we do have downtime, some controlled screen time doesn't hurt them.
My unpopular opinion is that some YouTube and games are fine. My kids also hike with me and do chores and read. Balance is the key not elimination.
Two hours feels like a lot to me but I also know every family is different. I try to do tablet stuff in small chunks spread out rather than one long block. Seems to work better for my kids.
We do about 90 minutes on weekend mornings before we head out to do stuff. Any longer and my kids get cranky. I think the sweet spot is less about the number and more about making sure they're doing other things too.
Two hours on weekend days feels fine to me. That's not crazy. I'd just make sure it's not a habit during the week. And yeah watch what he's getting into on YouTube because that algorithm is designed to pull kids down rabbit holes.
That's not unreasonable for a weekend but I'd definitely monitor what he's actually watching. Six year olds will click on anything and YouTube recommends some weird stuff. Maybe curate it with him or use the kids app version.
Depends on the content but for a 6 year old 2 hours on weekends feels reasonable to me if that's the only screen time he's getting. The key is WHAT he's watching. Educational stuff is different than mindless scrolling. YouTube can be a rabbit hole though so maybe set specific videos or channels.
Honestly 2 hours is pretty reasonable for a weekend treat. The bigger issue is keeping him engaged with other stuff the rest of the time so he's not always asking for tablet time. Get him outside or doing activities and screen time becomes less of a battle.
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Two hours on weekends sounds reasonable to me but honestly it depends on the kid. My 6yo would lose his mind if we let him have that much but he also gets bored with screens faster than mine do. What matters is you and your wife are talking about it together.