iPads / When / how often

[2BlueBirds]

What are your household iPad / iPhone/ tablet rules for young children (age 4-8yrs). Thanks.

[sajimum]

During the week my kids (4 and 6.5) get the choice of TV or iPad for 20-30mins in morning after they're ready and a similar amount of time before dinner. Weekends are more relaxed, though they usually watch a couple of movies instead of iPad.

[JR03]

My daughter is 4 in Feb so just outside of your range. We both work full time, but on the 2 days she's with my parents, she gets about 20-30 mins iPad time before I pick her up (sometimes she's lucky and I get stuck in traffic haha). Other than that, no iPad on weekdays. It's not a rule when we're home, but she's happy to see her toys after not being home all day so wants to play with them until dinner time.

On weekends, we're not home much but usually around 2-3pm when she needs a rest but I don't want her to nap, if we're home she'll be allowed to play with it. She only uses it for about 30 mins max until she gets up to play. So maybe a total of 2-ish hours per week.

[Stretched]

DD is almost 9 and touchscreens have only been readily available since after she was a baby. DS is 3.5. We've never had routine phone or iPad/tablet time. They tend to get used for long car trips, doctors waiting rooms and rainy days. She may go weeks without thinking about it or want to play every day if she's just got a new game - so those times we tend to limit it to 30 minutes a day if all chores are done. DD saved up for her own mini tablet last year and we were so scared she would get addicted to it, but it mostly just gets pulled out when she gets up before everyone else on the weekend or if she's visiting a friend who also has a device. DS does throw the occasional tanty about wanting the iPad or phone and we just say no. He usually gets it waiting for his sister's swimming lessons or if we don't want him to fall asleep in the car.

We do have the TV on a lot, but it's so different to a computer or device. Watching TV the kids are generally still playing, drawing, etc at the same time but devices suck them right in so they're not interacting with others or their environment at all. We're not a fan of them. They're very habit forming (says she typing this on her phone) and I'd like to try not to let the kids get hooked.

[Full House]

At those ages they could share DH's work ipad if we're on a long car trip (5 hours plus), or if they have homework that requires looking things up and thr laptop is being used by someone else.
No own devices until 10 here...and that's mainly for school use (90% school use, 10% games).
They never get my phone to entertain themselves in appts etc. They can take a book...lookand find before they can read, after that they take a book to read.
On rainy days etc we always said that at 2pm we'd put on a movie...I don't think we've ever put one on. They've busied themselves with other things and forgotten all about it.

[FearlessLeader]

My kids are 4 and 6, and the rule is and always has been no screens before 4.30pm. That's for all screens- tv, iPad, computer and PlayStation. Then they go off at dinner time (at 6). Many days we're not home till 5.30 anyway, and often they get immersed in whatever they're doing and 'forget' to grab the iPads until closer to 5.
On the weekend sometimes we'll have a far much relaxed approach (especially if we've been busy) and let them have freer reign.

[FearlessLeader]

DD is almost 9 and touchscreens have only been readily available since after she was a baby. DS is 3.5. We've never had routine phone or iPad/tablet time. They tend to get used for long car trips, doctors waiting rooms and rainy days. She may go weeks without thinking about it or want to play every day if she's just got a new game - so those times we tend to limit it to 30 minutes a day if all chores are done. DD saved up for her own mini tablet last year and we were so scared she would get addicted to it, but it mostly just gets pulled out when she gets up before everyone else on the weekend or if she's visiting a friend who also has a device. DS does throw the occasional tanty about wanting the iPad or phone and we just say no. He usually gets it waiting for his sister's swimming lessons or if we don't want him to fall asleep in the car.

We do have the TV on a lot, but it's so different to a computer or device. Watching TV the kids are generally still playing, drawing, etc at the same time but devices suck them right in so they're not interacting with others or their environment at all. We're not a fan of them. They're very habit forming (says she typing this on her phone) and I'd like to try not to let the kids get hooked.

That's interesting that you have that approach with devices- I'm almost the exact opposite- I prefer them playing games on the iPad than tv, as I find tv really passive and tablets far more interactive. But my son watches tv like a little zombie, and is far more animated when he's playing games. He loves stuff that's all about problem solving, like Minecraft and the Lego games on PlayStation.

[Ahalfdozen]

My kids are all getting iPads for Christmas. We don't currently have one except Mr4s therapy one (has his OT and speech apps on it and has to do certain exercises etc). They don't play with my phone or anything.

I have already said to my husband that I intend to be strict with it. We are planning on travelling a lot more, so days where we are driving for 12 hours+ I assume they might get to watch a movie each. But in saying that, we drive an 8 hour trip every second Friday and they get on fine without any devices so who knows.

I'm not actually sure when they will get to use it. Maybe a bit on the weekends and stuff.
I have a rule for myself about not sitting to watch telly or play on my phone til I get xyz done, so they will definitely have the same.

[Hollywood]

My DD is 5 and got an iPad in October, so she's had it nearly two months. She played it a lot for the first few days, and I figured that I'd let her while it was still a novelty. Her use of it tapered off naturally and she pretty much self regulates now. I don't generally have to tell her to get off it because she only plays for a little while and then gets up to do something else. It's handy on long car trips and in the supermarket (a bored kid in the supermarket is a nuisance so I unashamedly use it to keep her quiet while sitting in the trolley while I shop). So yeah, no need to set rules and it's handy to have.

[binnielici]

DS2 is 4 and has had my iPad mini in the car for 3 years - it's on the head rest and plays TV shows. Anything to stop the hysterical screaming. In the last 2 months we've been able to do car trips under 10 minutes without it on and not meltdown at being strapped in.

He doesn't use it any other time. So for us it is a tool and can be used up to 3/4 hours in the day if we need to do a big drive (would not be able to go longer than that). A normal day it's probably an hour or so broken up in the car.