When my sons were younger, I tried to be very diligent about limiting their screen time. But it was hard! I’d get busy and often not notice how much time they spent in front of the TV.
My husband finally got smart and put a technology timer on the TV. With the technology timer, we could program exactly how much total screen time they could engage in on the computer, TV, and their video games. When their time was up, the TV and/or videos would automatically shut down. (Don’t worry. Parents can override the timer with a master PIN.)
I loved our technology timer because I didn’t have to nag my sons to turn off the TV. They knew they only had a limited amount of time. It stopped the mindless TV watching. They learned to plan ahead and use their media time wisely. And because their use of TV and video games was so limited, they had plenty of time to do homework, chores, outside jobs, and socialize.
Two good technology timers for the TV and video games are The Bob Screen Time Manager or The TV Allowance TV & Video Game Time Manager. If you’re trying to limit screen time for multiple devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, video games, and TV, Norton Family Premiere will allow parents to set the total screen time for the combined devices.
