The Church magazines would like to hear from you!
- How do you moderate your children’s time with TV, computer, video games, and cell phone?
- How do you help them live a well-balanced life, using technology in helpful and appropriate ways without letting it take over?
- What activities do you encourage them to do when they aren’t “plugged in”?
Please send your responses to magazines-research@ldschurch.org
we make sure the magazines are visible and within their site. my children loves to read so reading liahona or new era is heaven to them. we also go online to read the church magazines. we use it for talks and other gospel discussion.
We set up some basic housewide filtering (free) via http://www.opendns.com/
Only the parents know passwords to log on to computers. Our kids don’t have cell phones. The video game system is a privilege and is taken away if people aren’t getting chores done.
I wrote about this topic a while back on my own blog. While I do not yet have children of my own, I often think about the effects of media on my own life and behavior and how I will have to teach my children about the wise use of technology.
The most important aspect of this balancing act (at least for me) is making sure I am open to the promptings of the Spirit and able to recognize them.
We don’t allow any TV or video games on school nights. On the other nights they have to have completed all their chores. Even then we limit them, they only get an 30 to 60 minutes of play time. If the weather is nice I kick them out of the house. We are very strict on the time because some of the games can take a long time to save so they know they need to work that out because when time is up it is up and your off if you have saved or not. I try to have them choose to do other activities to earn play time. Anything from physical activities to board games, crafts, reading etc. We also limit their TV time to just one movie. Some times my kids still get a little wrapped up in it all so we take away all the TV and game privileges until they learn a little perspective. They know I could care less if they are in the house so they better behave or it is gone. As far as the computer it is in an open place. They are limited what they do on it as TV well especially Facebook etc. My younger children are not allowed even allowed on Facebook etc. I try to encourage them to use it to learn, improve typing etc. In every kind of media we are careful what types of media they are viewing or playing with. Only our oldest have phones and we have limited when they can text and talk. I also review their texts. They are not allowed to use them during homework, chores, dinner etc. I also encourage them to communicate with their friends in other ways. I am very strict about all of the above.
sorry about all the errors in the above comment. I was doing this while wrestling with my infant. I really should have proof read it. 🙂
sorry I forgot to add that I apply many of these same rules to me. Not that I play a lot of video games. I try not to spend hours on the internet etc. I limit myself and try to be active with them in different activities so the have an example of how you can balance it all out.