Get your kids off the computer without nagging
September 18th, 2008 / 16 Comments
We’d set the kitchen timer and give 5-minute warnings, but inevitably we’d have to nag our kids when their time was over. We’d have to deal with repetitive pleas for “just a few more minutes.” Our boys would fight about who got to go first on the computer, or they’d complain if they thought their brother got more time. It wasn’t fun being the time cop. Occasionally I let my kids use the computer for longer than their allotted time so I could have more time to myself – only to feel guilty about it later. Something had to change.
Is that a familiar scenario at your house? I can totally relate to that.
That was the experience of Justin Magaram which prompted him to create TimesUpKidz
As a dad of 2 boys, Justin came up with a way to make sure that his kids do not waste time on the computer. A former designer and manager at Microsoft for 10 years, he came up with a way to limit kids’ computer time that is intuitive and easy to use, even for me!
There are many useful features on TimesUpKidz that I as a parent want:
1. Set appropriate limits for each child.
Give older children more time and let them use the computer later at night. Or you can set the same amount of time for all the kids.
2. Set weekday and weekend limits, or even customize each day.
3. Password protected.
TimesUpKidz Computer Timer uses the security built into Windows so only parents can set or override time limits. It is extremely difficult to defeat, even if your kids are more tech-savvy than you.
4. Override limits on particular days due to circumstances, i.e. vacation, or special homework. Preset times automatically resumes without having to re-set.
5. Audible reminders - “You have five minutes left”
Sometimes kids get immersed in full-screen video games and won’t see the pop-up messages. A warm, friendly voice tells them how much time remains through the computer’s speakers, giving them plenty of time to save their work.
6. Last chance to save their work.
When time is up, the screen goes black except for a button to log off. If your child clicks Log Off they are given one last chance to save their game or work. TimesUpKidz then blocks access to the computer until they have available time again.
While I believe that no tool should replace the supervision of parents, TimesUpKidz Parental Control Software reduces the power struggles and nagging that comes with trying to get our kids off the computer , thus removing unnecessary stress in the home.
Three more great features I like:
1. Justin offers a free 30-day trial, no strings attached, and no hard-sell. I tried it and I think you’ll really find it useful.
2. To purchase it, it’s only a one-time cost of $29.95. There is no monthly fee. What a deal! It’s well-worth the price.
3. This is developed by a dad who is committed to raising his kids right, and I want to support him for that.
Comments
Glad my son isn’t old enough to make use of this but it sounds like a great idea. I like the fact that it would eliminate the competition over time spent on the computer due to the perception that one child got to spend more time than another.
Rick
Thank You Cards
Thank you for this info. I am going to give it a try!
Tanya
Stationary Guy: enjoy your son and keep him off video/computer games as long as you can!
Tanya: Let me know how you like it.
Being a child myself of 14 years of age i gotta ask.Whats the big deal?
Me, i love playing video games.Heck i spend all my time on my video games cause we live away from my friends at school.I’ve played video games for 9-10 years.As a young boy i was always on the sega and nintendo, then the playstation.
Anyway whats wrong with your child on a computer? all he-she’s doing is socialising or playing games.If you think your child might download a virus, get a virus protector.Parental control on a computer is extreme really.It doesnt just block bad sites, it blocks most of them.I wanted a picture of a monster from a game and there was a bad word on the page calling that monster something cause he was hard to fight and it wouldnt let me get the picture.If you think your childs addicted, perhaps you should SPEND SOME TIME WITH IT! my parents complained but they dont spend time with me so they dont really have a right.If you want your child to stop, you’ll have to find him/her something else to do (if you decide chores, i’ll really hate you because instead of nagging for hours just do it yourself.Its their loss if you offer them money to do it and they refuse).So basically, i dont get whats wrong with it.If its a homework matter then let them not do it, get in trouble with the school and then yu have a reason to ban them.Fair dos
-JY
Joey, would you believe I just did an interview with Aurelia Williams talking about this exact thing!
My advice to parents is that they need to get on the computer themselves, and play computer games! Listen to my interview at ParentingMyTeen
But Joey, regardless of how your parents are, you can still do better things with your time instead of games 24/7.
My son was always on the computer when he was young. He learned computer language on his own, he learned coding on his own, he made his own website when he was about 10 years old, and he is now 20. So you can see 10 years ago before computers were user friendly, it was not an easy thing to do.
Yes, he played games too, but he began to program his own games. Last year when he was 19, he worked a summer at Google.
Don’t waste your talents, Joey. You can do more than games and socialize on the computer!
[...] a mature 14-year-old with some great insights on parenting. You can see his comments on my post on “Get your kids off the computer without nagging” and “Video game [...]
Katy i see what you mean and i’m flattered about you thinking i can do better things.
But really i dont want to leave my laptop.Everything i needs on it and i can acess it all from the comfort of my own bedroom.My friends are normally on, so are video games and movies on youtube and stuff.My computers like an endless ball of fun.
Children should be allowed to use the computer when they want but if theres an oppertunity to go out with their friends and they say “no” its really cause they’re not intrested.If i got an oppertunity like that my parents would make me take it.The fact is they dont understand that i’m not intrested.
And also, theres not much to do up here so computers really my only option.Never good weather in autumn and if there is we’ll just walk and talk.I’d rather be indoors playing a video game myself
My advice is while your child’s at school, check his internet history to see if he’s going on any 18+ sites cause when my friends told me about them i went on them and it was saved into my history.Luckily i can clear my history, but some people cant and if your child’s not as old as me,he wont know either.
-JY
Another thing, my parents dont spend time with me because of the fact i dont really want them to.I’d rather be by myself as it is.They’ve accepted that i like going on my laptop so they leave me to it.
Joey, read some of my posts under How to win and influence your kids, and let me know what you think.
As Justin, I also use one called Ez Internet Timer. It did the same trick as TimesUpKidz , but Ez Internet Timer has one more good feature. It can block Internet browsers, chat programs, e-mails separately. I often set the program to turn off Skype and ISQ while my kid does his homework. But the most important I think is to prevent addictive Internet use through effective cultivation of sound principles about life.
Gregory: Thanks for sharing that tool. Great idea to block certain programs. I would block YouTube! I waste a lot of time on that.
[...] I also recommend a great tool called TimesUpKidz. It’s developed by a dad with 2 boys, you can read about it on my post “Get Your Kids Off the Computer Without Nagging.” [...]
[...] posts from Katy Lee, the woman behind Adventures in Parenting. She tackles everything ranging from Get your kids off the computer without nagging to Initiation into manhood/womanhood: Rites of Passage and asks tough questions like Is abstinence [...]
Does this work in the UK
Nikki, yes, it works anywhere. Give it a try.
I am 9 years old and I think video game are great. I usually Play the Nintendo Wii. It’s cool.
Unfortunately, I think that EVERY MOMENT that a parent raises a kid that like video games, they worry about how much time they play. They never discover the bright side of video games. They usually don’t help them with video games, even if they had the skill. And many don’t buy video games for kids that can’t go to GameStop or some other place alone except on special occasions.
Again, parents really need to discover the bright side of video games. Usually, kids that like video games like computers, and smarter computer users will learn coding and AppleScript, go to collage, and work at Google or Nintendo or something.
I’m not saying to take away time limits. I’m just telling you to make them more reasonable. Reasonable for any kid that worked hard enough to learn C++ or AppleScript or another type of coding in a couple of years if they were smart enough.
Bye-Bye!
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