HI I'm trying to look for some help. My 12 year old seems to be addicted to video games. Last year it was mind craft. Codes, youtube videos, staying up all hours of the night, and lying about the time is played as well as where. Now its FIFA i got him interest din soccer as a means to get away from the video games and he really took to it... except now it went full circle back to video games... FIFA all day everyday, talking about it, you tubing it, codes, instagram, when i tell him enough here hell go elsewhere... to his friends or to his moms and just play play play.. i don't know what to do!?
It sounds like he needs some boundaries, being that he is 12 years old he would need permission to leave the house and go to another child's home. Do you feel comfortable talking to the other parents to help install a no-electronics rule when he does go and visit? How accessible are the electronics at your home? How often do you go on it, and would you feel comfortable limiting yourself too in solidarity? It sounds like right now he doesn't have a very strong locus of control. It would seem that he just needs some help developing the inner control to say no, and choose differently. what does the group think?
My husband and I don't play video games or games on our phones at all.. We are not really into anything like that.. We have limits here 2 hours a day of video games....thats our rule... but being almost 13 and going into 8th grade he also has an iPhone... he goes to sports practices and has to call us and check in especially when out.. we live in a city so i worry. So he does not play xbox more than 2 hours here.. he uses up his 2 hours here and then goes straight to his phone for youtube videos or something else like a game on his phone... we have said the phone is not for games and if he continues to use it that way he won't have it at all... the other thing is he visit his biological mom every other saturday where there is no rules or boundaries... he plays continuous from 10 am to al hours of the night... last week till 7 am... she tells him to get off but like i said theres really no rules so nothing will happen to him... he just knows hell have to deal with us when he comes home... but he doesn't really care bc he got to do what he wanted already.....
So the other day i said no games for the day its a break day! he was crying and stamping his feet, and i said that looks exactly like someone who needs a break from games!!
part of me really feels mean... he's playing a soccer video game, and its summer, and he's a super great kid, but theres a line with the games that i notice he can't control....and then i have to step in constantly everyday and say ENOUGH go out side and play... and then i notice he goes to a friends house where they all play... which is fine... but i don't think they play like him...
:(