You've set time limits, you've set spending limits, and you've tried taking the console away. Most likely none of it is actually working because now all you're doing is policing. “Once you've done that, you can go on your game. And once you've done this and you've done your homework, then you can go on the game, but only for half an hour, right? You've got 10 minutes left and then you need to come off.” Sound familiar. And that's every single day.
This is the reality for most parents right now. The real problem is parents are not being given the right information and the tools to be able to parent effectively when it comes to technology, especially gaming.
Most of the advice parents get online are from people who don't play video games. You need to know the subculture. You need to understand why kids are playing, why teams are playing, what they're getting from it, and what they're escaping from. And you can't just do that in one top 3 tips social media video. Most advice for parents is this: set a timer, set parental controls and have a conversation. But parents don't know what that conversation means.
And not only that, you'll be at a stage where your family dynamic is so intense when it comes to gaming that talking about it, your kid just straight away starts to zone out, move around, get annoyed, and you're looking going, why is my kid all of a sudden so angry? And also the best lawyer ever, coming up with things like, “Well, the age rating says it's okay. All my friends play it. You can't do this to me. This isn't fair.” Sound familiar.
My name is Daniel Towle, and I'm a screen time specialist. For the last 12 years, I've worked teaching technology to kids every single day, looking at how technology changes the classroom dynamic, the family dynamic. I don't tell parents to just set a timer or take away the device. I don't tell them just be a better parent, because none of that is actually helpful.
I show you what's actually happening from someone who's played video games all their life and give you a plan built for your family and your family's needs because you get to decide what goes on in your household. In my time in schools, looking back on my own childhood, I worked out the key areas where small changes have the maximum impact. So you can stop policing every single night.
If you know something's up, but you don't know where to turn and you feel totally trapped, then book a session with me. Within one to two sessions, families know exactly what to do and they're more on the same page. I want to get you to a place where your child can self-regulate and you can get on with everything else, running the household, being a parent every day without this constantly hanging over your head. Just easy family dynamics where you don't have to stress every day.