Is 3 hours the maximun that a person should be on Screen?

[pksstr]

My mother recently told me that from now on i can only have 3 hours of screen
That means that:

-I spend 2 hours watching a movie
-1 hour playing on the Sims
-45 minutes playing console
-15 minutes on my mobile

and that´s it
i have to wait until tommorrow

Do you think that is fair?
And no, is no punishment because i have a general grade of 6.6 of 7.0

[Petchy]

That's 4 hours in total.

[HystericalParoxysm]

3 hours per day? Yeah, that's totally fair, especially when you're also attending school. Go outside and play sometimes - go for a walk or a bike ride, take pictures, whatever. Read a book - or listen to an audiobook. Or learn to draw, paint, sculpt, knit, crochet, make beadwork, or macrame. Write poetry or prose. Learn to play an instrument. Go clean your room, or help with chores around the house. Soak in a hot bubble bath. Or some combination of the above. There's more to life than staring at pixels all day.

Not that I probably don't need to take my own advice more...

[Petchy]

Personally, I'd say go practice Maths.


But in all seriousness, sometimes Kids just have to have time to run about and do other stuff than being in front of a 'screen', but it also depends on how young you are.. because though I think I shouldn't spend my entire days on the Computer.. I kinda still do, when there is nothing else /to/ do, you know?
Keep yourself occupied in as many different ways as possible, spread that allocated time out more - go see friends and do stuff as much as possible, take up a hobby.
I had a friend who wasn't able to play any console game or even go on the computer for much time on a Weekday - consequently he spent most of his time on a weekend playing the things he wasn't able to, catching up with the rest of us. [This was before Internet games were about, and we used to buy one together and play it 'together'.. on Gamecubes... Man, so much has changed..]

[whiterider]

This is kinda a funny one. I know of lot of people think of "being on the computer" as a rather one-dimensional state, in which you are "doing stuff on the computer" and that's as far as it goes (I know, this is about screen time, not computer time, but it's relevant, bear with me). Really, what matters is what you're doing with your screen time. If you're spending it all playing games, or sending hundreds of txts, or building up your lolcat collection, that's probably bad. Similarly, if you spend all day every day in the library reading about Alfred Lord Tennyson, that's also pretty bad. If you're in the library reading a range of stuff, writing, drawing, studying, emailing, helping out other patrons... well, you could still do with a change of scenery now and then, but you're not so much depriving yourself of the variety of life. The same is true if you do a varied selection of different things on screens.

It may be, though, that your parents are worried about your eyesight, which is a valid concern; staring at a screen all hours of the day can damage anyone's eyes. Similarly they might be worried if you don't get enough exercise, if you're spending all your time slumped in a chair (can cause back problems), and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, parents are in fact entitled to interfere in the interests of preserving your health, even if it is hugely annoying. ;) (And similarly, you're allowed to stop round the corner on the way to school every morning and take out those damned annoying shaped shoe inserts)

[HystericalParoxysm]

True, whitey, true... But still good to do something else that doesn't involve a screen (or the library, or whatever) for a while, especially if you're spending a lot of time at something regularly. I do all kinds of things on the computer - my right monitor has a browser window with a bunch of tabs. Some of them are MTS, one is a list of stuff for moving, several of them are about hand-dyeing one's own yarn, a few more are knitting related forums/patterns, a few are about ball jointed dolls. On my left monitor I have chat, Skype, and 3DS Max open. In the background I have MS Word with a story I've been working on, too. There's a lot of varied things to do on the computer...

But still, spending all day every day in front of a screen isn't good, when there's so many other great activities that one can do. I've been considering "screen free" days at least once a month. No computer, no tv, no ipads or smart phones.

[Robodl95]

My eyes hurt just as much if I spend too much time reading as when I spend too much time on the computer. If you're squinting and about to pass out then go outside or take a nap or something but you can tell for yourself when you've overdosed on screen time, simply looking a screen doesn't hurt you... Some days are just really boring, if you're under the age of 16 your options are really restricted. If you're like me living in the suburbs with no sidewalks or friends nearby (not allowed to ride a bike on the busy roads) you're pretty much stuck. And it's really cold out too so any outdoors activity is out.

I find it funny that almost everyone who's taken the "responsible grownup" response admits that they don't even follow their own advice...

[longears15]

Agree, although in a rather hypocritical fashion as I spend far too much time on the computer.

I think as Whitey said it does depend somewhat on what you're doing with your time. I'm like HP in that I tend to have MSN and Skype open, I have a couple of forum windows open, sometimes a game, and usually MS word or OneNote as well. I give my time to different things though - I tend to use the computer while I'm sitting/lying in bed, so I usually have my computer, a book, maybe the latest bear I'm working on, my mp3 player, etc., all within reach.

[pksstr]

3 hours per day? Yeah, that's totally fair, especially when you're also attending school. Go outside and play sometimes - go for a walk or a bike ride, take pictures, whatever. Read a book - or listen to an audiobook. Or learn to draw, paint, sculpt, knit, crochet, make beadwork, or macrame. Write poetry or prose. Learn to play an instrument. Go clean your room, or help with chores around the house. Soak in a hot bubble bath. Or some combination of the above. There's more to life than staring at pixels all day.

Not that I probably don't need to take my own advice more...

I am actually on holidays

[pinketamine]

Well, I have never had a "computer time" limit, but maybe that was because I really wasn't a lot of time with it. Nowadays, I spend more time than I used with the computer, but I do many different things like playing, browsing the internet, doing Uni stuff, with all that... yeah, maybe I spend 3 or 4 hours a day with the computer, sometimes even more. But I'm an adult already so technically I can do "what I want".
Anyway, three or four hours a day is more than enough, the world is very interesting outside and there are many other activities you can do.
I personally don't understand how can someone spend 15 minutes with the mobile phone, as I only use that sucker for actually phoning someone :lol:

Being on holidays in not an excuse, because you can still do many things without being on the computer: read, go out with your friends, make some exercise, etc. Everything in excess is bad, so balance is the key; also, the more things you do, the more active you become, at least that is how it works for me. If you try doing new things, your life will have less routine and you will find it more interesting.

[Lavaster]

I spend most of my freetime looking at a screen, and me very good! me no has problem with screen looking all day!

[Mistermook]

It's a lot more fair than getting slapped around or kicked out of the house, both of which appear to be options for a lot of people.

Whenever a child tries to complain about how a punishment isn't fair I'm compelled to think of all the enormously shitty lives some of my friends had growing up. If you think you've got it bad, think again. You're getting out of this without even significant emotional scarring, much less something you'll show a friend later on as "this is where my old man set me on fire when I was ten" and the like.

Going without a computer or television is good for you. People do it all the time in places that we don't talk with because they don't have internet or grid power. Read a book. Go outside. Be thankful your parents care enough to force you to do new things, and aren't monsters and human garbage. Don't waste what little time you've got for doing the things you find enjoyable on the computer bitching to strangers about it, as if we really care or as if whining is going to change your circumstances. Enjoy your life, no matter what your circumstances, because time is precious even if it's not on a timer.

[kattenijin]

Going "screen-less" won't kill you. Those of us of your parents generation and older, all managed to survive from a time when there weren't computers, cellphones, i-pads, etc. Although, on a day like today (+8F, -18F w/windchill) I'd be in favor of letting "the rule" lapse a bit.

[lauratje86]

I don't think it's unfair, as such, but I do think it's something that many adults don't adhere to themselves!

I spend about 6-8 hours each day using my laptop, though to be fair a lot of that is studying, as I am studying for 2 MSc's though distance learning. As I sometimes spend 3 hours of my day looking for a particular journal article that would be really really useful for my research project, I would be disinclined to limit myself to 3 hours screen time each day!

Also, money can be a factor. Personally, I don't have much spare cash, so I do tend to stay in my flat most of the time. Sometimes I go for a walk, occasionally I do a little bit of shopping locally, and once every two/three weeks I go into the nearest city by bus, but other than that I stay in, and then my laptop and my television are my main sources of entertainment, as well as my laptop being my main study resource!

But in general, there are lots of other things to do. Like reading, drawing, playing or listening to music, cooking, going for a walk....

If I ever have children, I'd be disinclined to set an arbitrary limit (why 3 hours? Why not 2, or 4?) on their screen-time, but I would encourage them to do other things as well!

[Rawra]

ROFL! 3 hours?! In weekends, I spend at least 8. I can't even comprehend 3 hours of playing!!!

[Sparklycookie]

I can't sit for hours in front of my laptop- I get bored. The most I'll spend is 4-5 hours solidly, interrupted by snack or loo breaks. Sometimes going downstairs to watch tv or a movie.

[missy harries]

Well when I was a teenager I didn't have a pc or internet, what I had was the good ol playstation 1 and my mother never set me 'screen time' so when I came home it would be straight on it, freinds come round would be on it with me and there were even all nighters from pm to am when I'd notice the sun come up (Got. To. Reach. Next. Level.) and I can honestly say that I wished my mum HAD restricted me because I wasted my later school years.
It may sound unfair now but there are other things you have to do (such as homework.....) and trust me when I say letting you on it all day is the easy option for parants since they don't have to bother with you and can get on with other things they otherwise couldn't! Be happy that you have parants who care enough to take an active intrest in your wellbeing and lifestyle.

[Black_Barook!]

I have a good reason to stay in doors. I live in a desert country, near the equator. Also I have sensitive skin.


*Anno 1404 flashes that I've been playing for four hours*

[whiterider]

Have you got the "Start a game at 3am" achievement yet?

[Oaktree]

When I was in high school, my parents didn't have to set a limit because I was diligent about my homework, and I had hours of homework every night. There were even a few nights that I had so much homework I couldn't possibly have finished it in one night. I hope your situation isn't the same, but I will tell you that spending that time studying and doing useful things was a good use of my time, even if it was a little unfair to ask so much. College can be similarly hectic, though, so get used to the idea of not being able to play on the computer, sometimes for weeks at a time. Finals mean that you drop everything else and study, only taking small breaks here and there to relieve the mental fatigue a bit. Even with all the homework I had, high school didn't prepare me for that.

Beyond that, sitting down and reading a book, rather than skipping around the internet, is much better for your attention span. Since getting a laptop my attention span has drastically decreased. This is because I used to get most of my entertainment from reading books, now I get most of my entertainment from reading on the internet. Books generally have a longer pacing and more attention to detail, while the internet tends to deliver information in bite-sized packets. While is it good to learn in any way you can, it's ideal to be able to focus for long periods of time.

[Robodl95]

It may sound unfair now but there are other things you have to do (such as homework.....) and trust me when I say letting you on it all day is the easy option for parants since they don't have to bother with you and can get on with other things they otherwise couldn't! Be happy that you have parants who care enough to take an active intrest in your wellbeing and lifestyle.

A good portion of my homework requires me to use the computer, all papers have to be typed and there are many invaluable notes out there for various classes that I make good use of. Going without a computer just simply isn't an option for kids these days. Personally I think that restrictions are a bit stupid, encourage your children to do something different, get them involved in activities or *shock* actually do something with them! But putting a strict limit on things just causes tension and makes kids want to that thing more, especially when there isn't much of a viable alternative.

[AnnaIME]

I'm considering setting some sort of limit for myself as well as for my kids. It's so easy to get stuck in front of the computer. There is always something more to do before I get up and do something useful. This limit would not include study/work, only "for fun" time. My ten-year-old, in particular, needs to try other things. He has just discovered the joy of reading and his teacher praises his enthusiasm, but he never opens a book at home. Spore and The Sims call him louder than Harry Potter does.

[missy harries]

A good portion of my homework requires me to use the computer, all papers have to be typed and there are many invaluable notes out there for various classes that I make good use of. Going without a computer just simply isn't an option for kids these days. Personally I think that restrictions are a bit stupid, encourage your children to do something different, get them involved in activities or *shock* actually do something with them! But putting a strict limit on things just causes tension and makes kids want to that thing more, especially when there isn't much of a viable alternative.

I do agree with you and I think we're both right!
It all comes down to the indavidual and parants discretion. If your a responsable individual who uses your time resonably between work and play then there is no need but if you were like me and mostly wasted your time, even through the night (try going to school with a buzzed brain and zapped eyes on no sleep!) then there is a definite need to step in and place a restriction.
There is no one size fits all.

pksstr
Your parants obviously think there doing it for your own good and it doesn't help that 'screen time' gets a bad rep whether on the phone, pc or tv it's all seen as a waste of time. I could spend all day watching the documentry channel and I wouldn't see it as a waste since I'd be learning but at the same time I'd be getting no exercise.
Show your parants you can achieve a nice balance and they'll most likley become more lenient. :)

[dutch]

D:

This is no debate. 3 hours is in fact the minimum that a person should be looking at the screen per day!

And I think --



*turns laptop away* No, mom! I've only sit down for 3 minutes! To do my online assignment!

[pinketamine]

A good portion of my homework requires me to use the computer, all papers have to be typed and there are many invaluable notes out there for various classes that I make good use of. Going without a computer just simply isn't an option for kids these days. Personally I think that restrictions are a bit stupid, encourage your children to do something different, get them involved in activities or *shock* actually do something with them! But putting a strict limit on things just causes tension and makes kids want to that thing more, especially when there isn't much of a viable alternative.

I agree with you, but the original poster pointed that he/she is four hours in front of the screen.. playing video games and watching films! I mean, I find it normal that parents put a limit on the amount of hours you spend playing video games, that's what parents do (one of the things, you know), putting limits :lol:

[Sunbee]

I suppose the first thing to do is to figure out is what is your folks' concern? Then you can address it. If it's concern that you are not socializing, not exercising, hurting your eyes, rewiring your brain . . . each of those would need to be addressed in a different way. The last thing you want to do is come across to your folks as being like my kid who whines that it's 'not fair' that he has to finish his math before he's allowed to play wii. And something for all of you who live with parents to keep in mind: parents tend to recollect what you used to do and consider what you're currently doing in that light. As in, once you were a whiny little brat, so you may still be a whiny little brat, especially if you use words like "I think it is not fair that you (insert rule here)." Not saying that you, pksstr, are doing that, but I know, as a parent myself, that I frequently think of my kids as younger than they are (and they're still pretty little), and especially if they are complaining, arguing, or otherwise behaving in non-cooperative ways. 'Not fair' seems to enter a kid's vocabulary around three as a substitute for 'no!'

[crunkybunch]

Honestly, I've been under-employed for a while (currently working two days a week) and I spend a LOT of time on the computer. While a good portion of that is gaming, I'm also looking for jobs, reading books via kindle for pc, reading the news, watching movies or shows, researching random things to help out people, meal planning...

Recently I've been thinking about setting limits to it for myself, but even as a kid I was usually planted on the couch with a book (in the days before computers!) so in a way I see my current computer usage as very similar.

Now, if/when I have kids, this will be very different - of course they'll have limits - no TV before six or seven years old, introducing computers at about the same time, and even then I think that young people NEED to be interacting with things spacially - I learned to crochet and knit as a kid, and always had physical toys to play with - I think those things will always be important - even for teens and adults - in order to keep ourselves stimulated.

So no, I'm sorry, I don't think your parents are out of line at all. Try making some crafts, getting a sketch book, learning a physical skill, anything...

[vhanster]

Well, as long as I'm finished with my tasks and I don't play until the middle of the night, I am free to be online any time