New Parental Controls Limit Xbox Time 327
An anonymous reader writes "As part of a new marketing blitz to promote the Xbox 360 as a "family friendly" video game console, Microsoft on Wednesday rolled out a new feature called Family Timer, which will show up in the Family Settings Screen.
The Timer will let parents limit the number of hours their kids can play the Xbox on a daily or weekly basis. When the time limit is reached, the console will automatically shut off, ostensibly after saving the game."
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:5, Insightful)
not the root of the problem... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:2, Insightful)
however, i know for a fact that my parents wouldn't be able to set this up, and I'm sure they're not the only ones.
The machine isn't telling you what to do. (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:4, Insightful)
If you're an adult, absolutely (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
In my experience, the parents who would be responsible enough to use such a feature don't need it anyways.
I don't completely agree, this feature can help enforce a rule, or give more legitimacy to a decision, for example, instead of trying to estimate how long your offspring has spent on the console and going "Mmmh I think you've played enough of it for today. -But Dad?!?", you can agree with them on a weekly amount and when the time runs out, there's no "but I didn't even play it while you were at work" arguments or anything of the sort, the time you agreed on has unambiguously ran out, and there's nothing to argue about.
By the way that would also be cool if that thing prevented the Xbox from running from say 10:30pm to 6am.
Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:2, Insightful)
Parents should monitor and correct, monitor and correct their children's behavior. Nobody said it was easy. Parents should be aware of what their children are doing online and with games or what-have-you, just the same as when children are expected to let their parents know who they're with, what they're doing, where they are, when they'll be back, why they're going, and how they'll get there.
The process ofa parent busting a kid in a lie and then doing something about it is good for the kid, good for the parent, and good for the relationship. More to the point, it's damned good for the *adult* that the kid will someday become. Isn't that the whole point?
Time limited technology is not in and of itself bad. It's neutral--it's technology. But try to deny that the only people for whom this poses an attractive solution are the exact people who need more direct family involvement, not less. This is what conservatives are talking about when we say that all these little influences, each one seemingly innocuous, are corroding the family.
hacked in less than a month (Score:1, Insightful)
Worried about the Wii much? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:3, Insightful)
And, you know, sometimes its okay for children to have a 4-5 hour gaming session. Imagine trying to play a new Final Fantasy game if you can only play for 30 minutes. You might not even make it to the first opportunity to save.
If there is a problem, I think that's the time it might be appropriate to use the timer. And then, only temporarily. You have to trust your children to make their own decisions again at some point.
I like the way the Wii does it. It gives you a report on what was played each day and for how long. The only problems with it are that it cannot track GameCube games and, so far as I know, there is no way to prevent your child from gaming for 10 hours, deleting the message, and then playing for another 30 minutes and saying, "Dad, I only played for 30 minutes!" If they fixed those problems, it would be a great way to keep tabs on the game playing.
Re:How about for PCs? (Score:1, Insightful)
Being irritating enough to drive you from your computer isn't normally considered a feature.
Or were you referring to something other than UAC?
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:5, Insightful)
What if, say, I have some friends over and they take turns playing games, while I'm finishing up some homework before leaving to go to a party?
Nobody ever said that the parent can't turn them off. If that is indeed the case, then get your parents to turn off parental controls when you have friends coming over. Problem solved.
Secondly, I have never heard of a minor studying in another room before going to a party while his friends are playing his Xbox.
Getting the video game turned off without your consent is not going to make you go to your room and study -- it will make you very, very angry. Being the stubborn bastard that I was (and still am), I would not do my homework out of principle just to spite "the system". I would find a million-and-one other time wasters to avoid having to do homework.
Also, I used to watch cartoons and play the Super-Nintendo (I know, this dates me) when I got back from school, because my parents weren't there to watch over me. But when my parents got home, they started nagging at me to finish my homework, chores, etc... and I turned out alright.
While I think it's a relatively good idea, it speaks volumes about parental responsibility. Why parent when you can let a machine do it for you? Maybe a better system would be for the XBox to use its internet connection and SMS the parents periodically with usage statistics (for a monthly or yearly fee, of course), which would then prompt the parents to talk to the kids and make them turn off the game or whatever. Also, if the parent knows that all the homework is done or whatever, why not let the kid play? This system could be less intrusive for the kids, and it would put the control and parenting responsibility back onto the parents' shoulders.
Finally, is there some sort of hard reset on the XBox (like on routers) that would allow kids to bypass this feature? I don't have an XBox 360 so I'm not sure... anyone?
Incentive vs Punish (Score:2, Insightful)
It takes little thought and plenty of self-congratulation and bluster to punish things you dislike - like Microsoft's approach here. What a crappy "feature."
To all the holier than though types... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention, if you're talking about responsible parenting - why even buy the XBOX in the first place?
There are people who would argue that responsible parenting would mean that you don't get them an XBOX (or TV for that matter). Or for that matter, have the child work part-time on their own so they can buy their own XBOX. The thing is, every parent has their own ideas on parenting, and as far as I know there have been no real studies evaluating the efficacy of various parenting techniques (not to mention that there probably are none - it depends on the child). So stop talking as if your ideas on parenting are the only correct ones.
I personally don't have kids, but if I did, I'd probably be happy that this feature existed. Additionally, I'd probably want the same option for the PC & TV.
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:4, Insightful)
Stay in there !
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:5, Insightful)
I could give more examples but I need to go to sleep so I can go to work. Hey
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
Offer free health-checks, and the ones who -aren't- coming are the ones who'd be most in need of it.
Offer courses on child-nutrition, and the ones who show up are the ones that'd feed their kids sensibly even without the course.
Arrange a course in firts-aid, focused on the kinds of accidents children have the most often. And the ones who show up are the ones who already have half a clue.
Put recommended age on video-games, and the parents who actually take the time to know what their kids are playing and evaluate if it's apropriate for them or not, perhaps with help from the recommended age (but hopefully not by trusting it blindly) are precisely the same that'd probably make a reasonable decision even in the absence of recommended minimum age.
Ostensibly? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:4, Insightful)
People need to be reasonable (Score:4, Insightful)
Some will see this as a way to punish kids (and some will call it ineffective for various reasons - not all parents can operate a game console). Others will see this as a way for lazy parents to avoid parenting (this won't change that). It is partly each of these things. What it is most of all is a tool. It can be used positively, such as like an allowance - it can be increased for good behavior or decreased as a punishment.
Parenting isn't easy, and in the modern world you can't always be with your child 100% of the time. This tool helps set some boundaries. Like every tool, there is abuse potential. Like every piece of software, it will have its fair share of bugs to work out.
Technology is moving very quickly. When I was growing up (I'm nearly 30), computers had Kilobytes of RAM and phones had rotary dials. There were no mobile phones (these too appear to be going away slowly), and no cell phones. My childhood photos are in some shoeboxes on the other side of the country. My son's photos are on our website, from the day he was born. Hundreds of 4MP+ images - several each month as we go to parties or walk in the park, etc. Each picture has embedded date and time and other metadata.
We are more connected than ever before with cellphones/cameras/the net. This month people can spend $400 on 2 laptops - one for a poor child in another country and one for themselves. As time goes on, the OLPC/"$100 Laptop" will go down in price (to some extent) and the technology curve will advance. Eventually, the future generation of people will all have a minimum amount of digital technology. This will enable expression from any point in the globe to every other point regardless of income. It won't happen overnight.
The point is that the technology is coming to the masses. People on
I have spent most of my nearly 30 years of life staring at glowing screens... There's some good, some bad, and some plain old that's just the way it is in that statement.
Re:Short term gain, but long term...? (Score:3, Insightful)
Because they don't work (Score:4, Insightful)
Simple, these things rarely work, and people rely on them as if they they are foolproof.
I see some people argue that you could use this to enforce a limited amount of play time with a kid, so that they cannot "cheat". But ask yourselve what this says about your relation with your child. You do not trust your child and broadcast this very clearly.
Ask yourselve if this does not already show that your parenting skills are lacking and you really need to take far more drastic actions then rely on some tool.
A well raised child will at times attempt to bend the rules (essential part of growing up) but at the same try not to actually break them because they simply do no want to hurt their parents. Offcourse because they are too young to know better, they will get this wrong. THAT IS GROWING UP. A kid watching a movie that is way too scary for it, learns the hard way. You can install all the counter measures you like, but isn't watching something too scary also a part of childhood? Same as with breaking something and cuts and bruises. Anybody here who did not risk their neck as a child doing silly stuff like making ever higher jumps with their bike?
Part of growing up is seeing what the laws of society are and this starts with the laws at home. We must at once learn to respect them if we are to function of society, but also learn when and how to break them unless we want to become mindless machines.
This is offcourse a nightmare as a parent, but any child will attempt to push curfew, it doesn't matter what the curfew is, if you tell your teenage daughter she doesn't have to come home from her friday night date before monday morning 9:00, she will be coming in monday 9:30. Bedtime is important, but so is allowing a child to just push it a little, now and then. It is a give and take and the secret is that there are no books you can follow for this. No simple one liners.
You ain't got a clue how to parent and your only hope of success is to stop the kid from finding out. It usually works.
The problems emerge when parents are unable to see themselves as the parents and want to be friends with their kids instead, or simply refuse to take responsibility. YOU raise your kid. Not the state, not the media and not some device. If you cannot do it without help, then hand over custody to those who can.
Lets face it, if you need the help of a machine to deal with a child, you are a miserable failure. What next, you can only toilet train a puppy with a cattle prod? I deal with "troubled" kids now and then as part of volunteer work. Problems enforcing the rules? Are you kidding me, these kids are drunk for rules. They WANT someone to tell them what they can and cannot do and be clear about it. Simple rule, no smoking in the computer room, full stop end of argument, this is obeyed, but the rule is enforced for everyone, at all times. This is clear, and gets respected. Do not be wishy washy and allow it after class, or allow adults to smoke. The kids even enforce it themselves on new arrivals.
Frankly the simple truth is that if you need a machine to check up on your kid it is already too late. You are fighting a symtome, not the disease. So even if you succeed and get the kid of the 360, the kid will just disobey in some other way. A friends 360? Gaming on the PC?
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
I've noticed that when you make kind of a deal with your kid(s) like "you can play X amount of time, OK" they tend to agree better. They know the rule, how long they can play and sometimes they are even capable of planning ahead of like what to do next. If on the other hand you go in the middle of the game and say "okay, time's up, shutdown the console" kids can get very offended because you lay abritrary rules on them.
This kind of functionality is great I'd say! I might even use it myself on myself :) You make the deal and agree on the play time, you set it to the Family Timer and when the time is up, console asks to save the game and shuts down. And then it's time to do something else.
But here I see a possible problem. Console enables parents to "offload" their responsibilities. I think it's okay to use the Family Timer but after that you should check your kids to see how they are doing and possibly ask what they are going to do next. To be with them at least for that little time. I can see some lazy-ass parents using this as a way to be rid of their kids, to let machine do their parental job and concentrate on their own selfish needs. Sorry for writing harshly but I can't stand those kind of "parents".
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:4, Insightful)
Parents should find ways to monitor their children's behavior, obviously without being there 24/7. My father once grounded me from TV for a week when I was eight years old. So I knew what he expected. But I was in agony. I watched some anyway, and when I saw the lights in the driveway, I quickly turned it off. See how smart I am? He came in, took off his coat and hat, asked me if I had watched any TV ("No, Dad."), and then he felt the back of the TV, which was nice and hot. After that, I clearly knew what the consequences were, and suffice it to say that the TV stayed off for three weeks. One week of original punishment, two additional weeks for breaking the terms of my original punishment, and a little something special for lying about it all. Sitting down was also somewhat in short supply for a few hours, but I had just developed another smidgen of responsibility. Thanks, Dad.
Do you know the difference between Discipline and Punishment? Discipline is completely internal, and keeps you from knowingly doing wrong. When Discipline fails, Punishment can be applied by somebody else (if you are fortunate), and this repairs Discipline. Nobody can be there 24/7, and even if you could, imagine what would happen to that basket-case child upon leaving home. Suddenly the Permanent Monitor isn't there anymore. Kid's head would explode. So I don't think that you actually believe I'm talking about 24/7 monitoring.
Re:Short term gain, but long term...? (Score:5, Insightful)
A good parent will put the limit on, tell their child why. Then, when the child has proved they have the presence of mind to manage their own time between homework and play, then they can remove the limit.
The rest of your comment seems to work on the assumption that kids will gravitate to the house of the friend with the least strict parents, and therefore nobody will want to play Xbox any more. The hot news on that is that this happened long before consoles were mainstream, and depends on the parents not the console. A parent can easily manage their child's time on a Playstation 3 by taking the power cord away. All Microsoft have done is provide a tool to make it easier for them.
Re:If you're an adult, absolutely (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:3, Insightful)
How much do you think an XBox costs, exactly? I don't about where you live, but I can afford all sorts of electronics (a Wii, PS2, decent PCs, a fairly large flat-screen TV, etc.), but if my wife or I suddenly stopped working, the loss of 50% of our income would cause the ol' bank account to implode pretty quickly.
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, this feature can help you track your kids time on the Xbox...or help enforce your rules for you... It's a handy tool for any parent... But any parent who is going to make use of this feature has already decided that they ought to be limiting their kids playtime. If this feature wasn't available they'd likely be using something else. We used to use an egg timer.
No your kids don't turn to animals when they hit (Score:3, Insightful)
No your kids don't turn to animals when they hit their teens. YOU screwed up long before.
Blame everyone else all you want, but that child was handed to you in a pristine state and you raised it. Problem kids ain't just teenagers, you get totally out of control kids of toddler age because the parents can't do it.
These exact same "parents" would also suck at raising a pet. What next, you are blaiming badly trained dogs on society as well rather then their owner? Puppies hang out at the fire-hydrant and pick up their habits there?
Things are different then when we grew up? oh yeah, because kids rebelling is something new. Ask your parents about it, or your grand-parents. They can do with a laugh.
If kids today got a feeling that everything is their god given right it is because YOU failed to raise them.
The proof? The fast majority of kids who do NOT grow into hell spawn. This is often forgotten, the countless kids who do NOT special attention, who just do what kids have done, grow up, become adults, have kids, live their lives.
I take your excuse ONLY if no parents are succeeding anymore in raising reasonably well-adjusted kids, but that ain't the case is it. Explain those "super" parents to me. Have they locked their kids away till 18? Why ain't there kids corrupted by these bad people out there.
Although I do admit that society ain't making it easier, with the increased importance of getting a nice diploma lots of kids are forced into schooling that don't suit them because their parents and society thinks that a physical job is beneath them.
I see that myself, kids forced into computing classes who should just be put in construction where they would be good and can get rid of their energy and see real direct results for their work. But no, being a bricklayer is beneath most parents ambition for their kids.
But that is another rant. But stop blaming society for your failure.
You claim you have a well adjusted to your teenage kids, and call them animals at the same time? Oh yeah, I think I may have spotted your problem.
Re:Oh, Thank Heavens! (Score:3, Insightful)
A new game console every few years is a drop in the bucket when considering a household budget in the western world.
Even if the lower earning partner is just a bus driver in the UK losing thier salery would mean over £10K out of your annual household budget. That can easilly be the difference between having lots of disposable income and not even being able to pay the morgage/rent. I imagine the situation is similar in the USA.
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:3, Insightful)
But that's prime gaming time! Personally I hope this encourages kids to dig up their parents NES or Genesis and play all night long.
Re:Why is the box smarter than me? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:not the root of the problem... (Score:2, Insightful)