# Restricting your kid's screen time, how do you do it?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricting-your-kids-screen-time-how-do-you-do-it/593239
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 18, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricting-your-kids-screen-time-how-do-you-do-it/593239 "2011-08-18T22:31:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricting-your-kids-screen-time-how-do-you-do-it/593239/61 "2011-08-31T19:10:20Z")
> [@moi](#):
>
> I can definitely see that. However, **prior to our move, his friends were 99% the guys he knew from school** , so this shift to having only online friends is a result of our move, not because he necessarily socializes better in that format.
>
> …
>
> I’m hoping being back in school will resolve some of this and that much of our stress over this issue came from summertime boredom (despite the fact that we tried to provide him with more opportunities and options this summer specifically because we knew **he was in a relatively new place** ).
I expect, based on the two bolded statements, that this problem will resolve itself entirely on its own by December–if he’s had no trouble making local friends in the past and all of his friends were guys he knew from school, then he just hasn’t had a chance to ramp up in your new location yet.
Which makes me think even more that I’d let it slide for a bit. School’s starting soon, if it hasn’t already.
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### Author:  [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricting-your-kids-screen-time-how-do-you-do-it/593239/62 "2011-08-31T22:43:54Z")
> [@Zeriel](#):
>
> I expect, based on the two bolded statements, that this problem will resolve itself entirely on its own by December–if he’s had no trouble making local friends in the past and all of his friends were guys he knew from school, then he just hasn’t had a chance to ramp up in your new location yet.
>
> Which makes me think even more that I’d let it slide for a bit. School’s starting soon, if it hasn’t already.
Sorry, I should have been more clear – his friends in Florida are the guys he’s known since elementary school. Up until we moved last September, he’s lived in the same house and gone to the same school district his entire life. His best friend lived across the street from us.
So, while I’m not anxious about him making new friends, I know it’s going to be more work and out of his comfort zone.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricting-your-kids-screen-time-how-do-you-do-it/593239/63 "2011-09-02T00:03:23Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#):
>
> Nobody likes filling out logs every time they do something fun. It’s joyless. If it were me as a kid, I’d respond much better to something positive – let’s do family stuff together, the TV is off, let’s play board games or go for a walk or some other activity.
Maybe that’s you, but when I was fifteen, playing board games with my family would have sounded like the kiss of death. I’d much rather have gone to the mall or the movies, or somewhere with my friends. Of course, all kids are different, but most teenagers I know aren’t really into things like that. Of course, like I said, that’s just my experience.
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