“Apparently no-one else has these limits”
Ah screen time – a topic so divisive I almost run and hide from my laptop every time we write about it.
Ok, slight exaggeration, but you guys have some seriously strong opinions about it. Other people’s opinions are getting to one mother in particular who took to Mumsnet this week so ask if she’s being as unreasonable as her daughter would have her believe when it comes to time spent on her phone.
She said: “Just want to check if I’m in the right ballpark or if I really am the mean mother – that’s what my daughter thinks . Apparently no-one else has these limits.
“I am trying to limit to 5 hours on a schoolday, on her phone. I think this is still too much, but with the hour she spends on it before school she hits it easily.
“I think it’s been getting out of hand – she does little else at home, often grumpy, doesn’t engage with us much.”
Commenters quickly reassured her that it wasn’t an unreasonable amount at all. In fact, many thought it was too generous.
One said: “Admittedly I don’t have a 12-year-old, but 5 hours a day sounds like a huge amount if you’re trying to actually set a limit!”
The mum was relieved to hear it saying it sounded like a lot “to me too. It’s a lot of TikTok, but also messaging friends/watching things on Netflix. My thinking was to try to get it down in stages – but maybe need to be tougher.”
Another commenter who also has a 12-year-old daughter has much stricter controls on her child’s phone time. She said: “My daughter has one hour 15 mins of Tv/game time on kindle, and I think TikTok on her phone is limited to 40 mins (which if she uses she does it in school hours, waiting for bus etc.)”
What do you guys think? At 12, should kids be able to manage their own time? Or do you have strict rules around screen time?
Let us know in the comments. *ducks for cover*
