I have 9 and 11 year old boys No screen time until they were 4. Even then if I think about it, it was more to give myself a break than for them, so I regret it.

I have 9 and 11 year old boys No screen time until they were 4. Even then if I think about it, it was more to give myself a break than for them, so I regret it. they both have ipads now and swtiches and an xbox they share. They are only allowed on when I tell them they can play games. The ipads have internet access but everything is sent to our phones. They are forbidden to visit any social media, including youtube. They have to get approval for any games they add to the systems. We let them play games becuase their friends do and all the kids chat while doing it so its good for socializing. They can only friend people they know. Oldest just got a phone. Internet is disabled. He can only text and call. While it sounds like a lot, we have a good system, they know what games we will let them play and so dont push for anything else to much. Its really just about setting boundaries but giving them enough freedom that they dont push those boundaries. My oldest did spend about $100 on fortnite once without telling us and so we locked that down. He knew it was wrong but did it anyway which is on me. He wont do it again (no physical punishment in my house, I just explained that i was disappointed and grounded him for a week). We had a good talk about it. During summer they play a lot of games as I have to work and their friends are all online with them.