Cafe Michelle L, CafeMom

Photo by: Cafe MichelleL

Video games or gaming systems are probably on your shopping list this holiday. If your kids are in elementary school or older, they play video games.

Last week I spoke to Heather Snavely from Microsoft Xbox 360. She shared some practical tips on healthy and safe media use for kids. Heather is with Xbox 360 but her advice is useful for monitoring children's use of computer games, movies or surfing the Internet.

According to Heather, setting guidelines is key to promoting healthy habits in front of the screen, whether it's a video game or on the computer. She recommends that every family have a plan or list of guidelines for how the game system or computer should be used. Parental guidelines should include:

  • Limiting screen time for your kids.
  • Selecting age-appropriate games or content.
  • Limiting access to who your kids can connect to online.

Some websites parents can use as a resource for video game and online information:

I'll share specific tips on how to control and monitor video games and web use on Friday! Since Heather Snavely is the mom of two school aged kids, I found her advice really helpful. I put some of her tips to use this past weekend...to the dismay of my teen daughter.