My 7yo has completely abandoned actually playing games and now just watches YouTube videos of people playing Minecraft for hours. Like, I get it, but shouldn't he be... doing something? His mom thinks I'm overreacting but ngl it bugs me that he'd rather watch someone else build a house than build one himself. Are we the only ones dealing with this?
My unpopular opinion: some kids are just more into consuming content than creating. Not ideal but some brains work that way. As long as he's not doing it ALL day it's fine.
You're not overreacting - it bugs you for a reason. Just balance it out. Let him watch but also carve out time where he has to actually play or do something else.
I don't think you're overreacting but also this is pretty common at that age? My 6yo does the same thing. He says watching helps him learn what to build and honestly his creativity has gotten better.
This is tough because YouTube is specifically designed to be addictive. 7 hours of Minecraft watching is a lot though. Maybe set a limit but don't eliminate it?
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At 7yo I'd be more concerned about screen time in general rather than what specifically he's watching. Minecraft is actually one of the better options.