My 7 year old cries when we take away his iPad

4d ago1 min read

We're talking full meltdown for 30 minutes. Hitting, yelling, the works. It's like we're asking him to give up his firstborn. We reduced his time from an hour to 30 mins on school nights and it's been a battle every single day for two weeks. Wife wants to go back to the original schedule just for peace but I know that's not the answer. Anyone successfully broken a kid from heavy screen addiction? What does that process look like?

7 comments174 views

Comments(7)

BBrandonNew Dad3d ago

Oh man, we're dealing with this exact thing right now. The iPad is basically a pacifier at this point. I've read that you just have to push through the meltdown and not give in, but 30 minutes of full chaos is rough. Have you tried setting a timer so he knows it's coming?

PPedroNew Dad3d ago

The hitting and yelling phase is real. With my 7 year old it was the same way. What finally helped was letting him pick something else to do RIGHT when we took it away - like a specific toy or activity he actually wants. Gives him something to look forward to instead of just mourning the iPad.

AAlexRegular4d ago

Full meltdown mode is never fun but you're doing the right thing by sticking to your guns. It gets better as they adjust, but man those 30 minutes feel like forever when your kid's screaming.

MMax R.Regular4d ago

Yeah that's tough. The key is not giving in during the meltdown or he learns that hitting and yelling gets the iPad back. I found having an activity ready to go right after helps redirect the energy instead of letting him stew in the anger.

CCarl D.Regular4d ago

Those meltdowns are rough but honestly they usually pass faster than you think. We went through the same thing and stayed consistent on the boundaries. After a few weeks of 30 minute tantrums it got way better because he realized the rules weren't changing.

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TTrevorNew Dad3d ago

Screen time addiction is no joke with kids. I think the issue is they don't have the emotional regulation yet to handle the disappointment. Some people swear by just cutting it out cold turkey but that sounds like torture for everyone involved.

DDerek S.Regular3d ago

This is brutal and honestly one of the harder parts of parenting I wasn't prepared for. My daughter does similar stuff. The experts say consistency is key but man, it's hard to stay strong when they're losing it like that.