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Do/would you let your kids watch YouTube at the table?

Tanerian

Member
Feb 24, 2018
1,380
My kids 2 and a half. Not at all.
Needs to learn to be calm and quiet in a public space, so I see no reason to get him in the habit if having a screen during meals, or while we are out. At most he gets a toy while we wait for food, though his mother or I normally just interact with him while we wait.

I will bear the burden of eating/reheating my food if need be, should he decide to act up and require my attention. He is generally very well behaved though.

There is no "one" path to raising a child tho. I know parents who use a phone/tablet with their kid all the time, and their kids are great/well behaved.
 
KuroNeeko

KuroNeeko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,186
Osaka
No. It's not a big issue now that my kids are still young, but later on it'll probably be hard to get some talk time, so we try to keep meals as somewhat social events. As such, no TV or devices if we're at the dinner table or a restaurant.

TV is OK if it's something we're all watching together as a family or if someone is eating alone.
 
GodofWine

GodofWine

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,775
No, never. I have two kids, 8 and 10.

When we go to a restaurant, and I see another family, and there is a kid / pre-teen with a phone, where full over the ear headphones watching YT...yea Im just glad I have 'some' rules to abide by. (but that kid might be a great kid, I dunno and try to avoid judging cause parenting is FUCKING HARD and age 13 is WAY different than age 10)

Now, I admit my kids are very much into YT and gaming, they each have their own gaming PCs (budget builds), they play A LOT of games (my son is 8 and he is impossibly good at Rocket League), but since they do sometimes get bored of them, and ask to go out and have a catch / bike / basketball / wiffle ball etc, I let it go (which gives me time to play games too lol). If their behavior or grades weren't good, or they weren't involved in extracurriculars (my son is good at baseball and basketball, my daughter leans more to the arts), I'd be stricter, but despite my flimsy parental skills, they are really good, very smart kids, and they know they get a long leash from me because of this, so they actually study and stuff on their own.

TLDR - No, never, but I can understand if you do cause parenting is tough.
 
Sai

Sai

Prophet of Truth
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
5,610
Chicago
At home? Probably not. Outside? I would still prefer not to, but yes it's situationally dependent, and obviously would have to be mindful of others around us.
 
hobblygobbly

hobblygobbly

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,565
NORDFRIESLAND, DEUTSCHLAND
I don't have kids but when I was growing up, dinner time was when all the family at the only point in the day was all together (and sometimes not always, like if me or my siblings would be out for the evening), so it was pretty much reserved for talking about your day and week. My parents were never strict and we had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted in or out of home growing up as long as chores were done, but dinner time was the exception, if we were together at this time, undivided attention lol.
 

GeorgePBurdell

Member
Oct 29, 2017
444
At home? Not a chance. In public? Sometimes. I would never have the volume up high though. It really depends on what else I have to entertain them with and how long we plan to be out.
 
Vincent Alexander

Vincent Alexander

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,743
I don't let my son watch YouTube in general. I've recently loosened it since he uses it for video game secrets, but until YouTube gets better at regulating their shit, he isn' allowed on there.

In public, no electronics at all. No switch or anything. He he to suffer with me at restaurant with no electronics. My phone generally goes away too.
 
H.Protagonist

H.Protagonist

Verified
Oct 26, 2017
861
Drizzle-Drizzle-Rain-Land, England
No, and not planning to. I have a 3.5 year old and a 21 month old, and we don't do devices at the table (or at all, really). We make exceptions for long air flights, however, so like every other parenting thing it's whatever you're comfortable with, and I'm just not comfortable using them except when other people are trapped with us. :P I have no idea what other parents' situations are like, though, so it's just a personal choice.
 
Mona

Mona

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
26,151
Only if they're watching the video about why TLJ is a cinematic failure
 
UltimateHigh

UltimateHigh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,500
Full volume at a restaurant? Those parents fucking suck.

Youtube that kids watch is some weird fucking trash too and I would (if a had any kids) rather they not indulge themselves in it too much, especially in ear shot of me.

I was watching my brothers gf's kid, let him load up the youtube app on the television and man, the obnoxious crap he was watching was just plain miserable. like, holy shit, what is going on, and it just keeps going.

not my kid though.
 
Untzillatx

Untzillatx

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,375
Basque Country
No, I do not think so.

I'm not a parent, but if hundreds of generations before us managed to discipline their children on the table, I can't see why people should stop now.
 
KiKaL

KiKaL

Member
Oct 26, 2017
407
Mine is too young for this to even be a thing yet but my wife and I are both against it. We want her to be able to entertain herself without the need for electronics all the time. We are fine with it in other places but we don't need to constantly promote the instant gratification that this promotes. We also see it as a family time and both my wife and myself don't use our phones at the table.
 
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,155
Indonesia
Allforce said:
Wtf? Yes its possible. My oldest was 16 before she got a smartphone.

My youngest won't get one either for another 5 years at least, he's 8. Literally nothing but problems come from it.
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Lol yeah. I feel like it's a colossal challenge as a parent, because I've yet to see my friends/relatives' kids who are not glued to a smartphone. Maybe one or two of them, but most are already a lost cause. I'm a new parent, and this is one of my main goals.
 

Deleted member 13496

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,409
texhnolyze said:
Lol yeah. I feel like it's a colossal challenge as a parent, because I've yet to see my friends/relatives' kids who are not glued to a smartphone. Maybe one or two of them, but most are already a lost cause. I'm a new parent, and this is one of my main goals.
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Yup. I see it constantly and it worries the hell out of me as someone who does want kids at some point.
 
Cation

Cation

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
3,603
No, why would I do that when I allow them to bring the abacus and stone tablet to the fookin table.
 

rusty chrome

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,640
If you don't have a TV in the kitchen and people in the family don't feel comfortable sitting there in boring silence, I don't see the issue with getting on your phone. I feel like only some old person would be bothered by it. No normal person wants to listen to another person chewing their food.

If I had kids, I would see it as a necessary break to get from them so I can eat my own food in peace.
 
BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
45,044
Seattle
Would you rather the kid screaming and throwing a hissy fit?

Sometimes after we go through our bag of tricks that's the only option.

Edit: not at full volume though.
 
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