My 10 year old is obsessed with YouTube and it's getting out of hand

DanNew Dad

Mar 1·1 min read

He watches Roblox streamers and gaming videos for hours if we let him. We've set limits but he sneaks his phone under the blankets at night. I've tried parental controls but he figures out ways around them. The worst part is when he gets upset about screen time ending he's absolutely awful to be around. Any of you dealt with this? Are there apps or settings I'm missing?

4 comments191 views

Comments(4)

RRobertRegularMar 3

At 10 years old he's at that age where if you just ban it he'll feel like you don't trust him. We sat down with our kids and actually watched some of the content together to understand what the appeal was. Then we could actually talk about it instead of just shutting it down.

KKevinRegularMar 2

Have you tried introducing him to something more interactive? Like actual Roblox development or game design? Sometimes kids latch onto streamers because they want that creative outlet too.

NNathanNew DadMar 2

The sneaking around part is what gets parents. He's going to find ways to watch it if the only thing he has is restrictions. We switched to earning screen time with other activities - like for every hour outside or reading, he gets 30 minutes of YouTube. Flipped the whole dynamic.

-1

TTrevor M.New DadMar 3

The Roblox streamer thing is tough because it feels like he's just watching other kids play. I found that switching to time-of-day limits works better than content limits. Like YouTube is only available 4-5pm on weekdays. Takes the sneaking incentive out of it.