When we replaced our iPhone 3GSs we decided to give our old ones to our boys since one was having issues anyways. At first they were very good with their time, and only spending a little time on the phones. Then it became a major issue. Our oldest wouldn't put down his phone unless he had drained the battery. He would charge it and then drain it again in one day.
We had to figure out a way to limit his time on the phone, and FAST. Here is what worked for us:
1.
One charge a day. We made a rule, you get 1 charge a day on your phone, and took the chargers away except one by his bed and one by ours. Limiting access to the chargers ensured they weren't going to charge their phone when no one was looking. They took it hard at first, but after a while they started learning that you didn't have to drain the charge in one sitting and have none later.
2.
Suggest other things to do. Sometimes I find the boys just aren't sure what else to do. They want to be with us, but I am busy working, or cleaning or hubby and I are taking a few minutes to talk. So they will pull out the games, and sit with us and play. That is ok, but then they get sucked in, we leave and they will sit there. We try to get through the thing that MUST be done right then, and then take the time to be with them. Sometimes it's dropping the thing that I really want to do, or that post I finally have motivation and ideas to write. We will do things with them, so they can put down their phones and be with us. We are trying to teach them at 6 and 5 moderation, and good alternatives, so hopefully in a few years they will have those skill sets.
3.
Be a good example of moderation. This means....put down your own phone or game, turn off the computer and do other things. We found at first we were very excited about our new iPhone 4Ses and wanted to check out all the new features, and we were draining the batteries, then recharging. Now we use in moderation, and show them all our other hobbies. Or we play games as a family instead.
4.
Put in place rules of when is ok. In our house it's no iPhones when we need to get ready for school, say from 7am to bus time, unless they are completely ready to go, just need to put on coats and shoes. That means dressed, breakfast eaten, lunch made, backpack packed, and placed by the door. The other major thing is, you come home, you do home work, then you can play games.
5.
Remove the source. When our boys just won't put the phones down, and all else is failed (our 5 yr old sometimes finds the chargers and charges his when we aren't looking. We take the phone away. iPhones are privileges and special bonuses, so
when we need to make a strong point we take the phones away. Our middle was having trouble at school in the beginning so we told him if we got a bad note, no iPhone and no Wii. He would usually fall asleep then as it was really making him tired. But if he had his iPhone he would stay awake and be miserable.
After we implemented all of these things, we find our boys have started monitoring it on their own, and will go and play other things after a short time. For us, the key is to teach them how to handle the technology, and gaming while still having fun, and cultivating a love of fun and gaming. These are what works for us, we would love to hear what works for you!
