My 6 year old is addicted to YouTube

2d ago·1 min read

Not even exaggerating. Every moment he's not in school he wants videos. Educational videos, silly videos, doesn't matter. We thought an hour limit was reasonable but he cries like his world is ending when it ends. Meanwhile his younger sister is picking up the same habit. I'm worried about his development but I also work from home and ngl the quiet while he watches is the only time I get anything done. Feeling guilty and stuck.

3 comments149 views

Comments(3)

DDavid K.New Dad22h ago

YouTube is a trap man. I started saying yes to one video and suddenly it's an hour later. Have you tried setting screen time limits in the parental controls? That way it's not you being the bad guy, it's just the iPad that stops working.

MMarcusNew Dad2d ago

My 8 year old is the same way. We had to set strict limits - 30 mins on weekends, none on school nights. Even the educational stuff adds up. What helped us was having a list of alternatives ready when he asks. Building Legos, drawing, literally anything else.

BBrianRegular1d ago

This is tough. My daughter got hooked on those unboxing videos. What worked was replacing the habit, not just taking it away. We got into building stuff together instead. Takes effort upfront but worth it.