Regulate Your Kids' Gaming With Time Scout

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a PC World/Yahoo story discussing the Time-Scout Monitor, a device "which tracks and enforces usage limits on electronic products, and cuts the power when time runs out." It's aimed at kids who may watch TV or, particularly, play game consoles for too long, and uses an ATM-like card to allott time on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. According to the man behind it, Kent Hansen, "You get home and the kid is playing Nintendo or the computer when they're supposed to be doing homework. Then you're facing arguments and negotiations that make you the bad guy. With this product, there's no argument, because you can't argue with a box."

Comments

drawback?

[orangesquid]

Kid: Mom, what happens when I unplug the Nintendo from that funny-looking box and plug it into a normal socket?
Mom: Shit.

Parents?

[mhesseltine]

From the post (my emphasis):

Then you're facing arguments and negotiations that make you the bad guy. With this product, there's no argument, because you can't argue with a box."

Right. Exactly. Just another excuse for parents to not be parents and be their child's best friend. Ladies and Gentlemen, you aren't supposed to be your kid's best friend. You're supposed to be their parent, their role model, their mentor, their teacher. Quit sluffing off and do your jobs!

P.S. To those parents who do monitor the time their kids spend online, playing games, watching TV, etc. Thank you.

Lousy Product?

[Babbster]

I see nothing in the article (and nothing on the company's website) about how this product would prevent the youngster from unplugging the device from the unit and then plugging it into the wall. I assume that there's some sort of locking mechanism that prevents access to the power plug.

Apart from the above, what about multi-TV households? I suspect that any family ready to blow $70 on a device like this has multiple televisions and would need one of these devices on each one. If only one is attached then, of course, the product can easily be evaded by moving to another TV.

Realistically, the only way this product works effectively (if only one is bought) is in stopping kids from using their console (again assuming that there is a locking mechanism as described in my first paragraph). They can still vegetate in front of one of the TVs in the house, and frankly I would find that more disturbing were I a parent than having the kid playing video games (at least their brain is engaged with the latter).

I guess there's one more way this could work, and that's by integrating the idea into televisions and consoles themselves. Then, parents could simply choose to buy only components wtih the card access technology. Otherwise, there are just too many ways around it, and by the time the child is old enough to play videogames they're going to have the ability to evade the system.

--Note that all of the above assumes that the concept is a "healthy" idea in terms of parenting which is another argument entirely.

Old school

[cfreeze]

What ever happened to just parents setting down a set of rules and actually enforcing them? Devices like this might be the new 20th century way of being a parent, but they often tend to throw off the responsibilities of being a parent. Nothing beats being there for your kids. Take an active role for crying out loud, their only kids once.

You can't argue with a box

[djNocturne]

It's true, I've tried.

"What the f--"

"I pushed left, you squirrely piece of shit ... left ! God and BABY Jesus, I am not playing that entire level again!"

Storm out of the room. Wait at least two minutes (you do have your pride), then slink back in and play that entire level again.

I also recommend a wireless controller. Preferrably one of the more expensive models. Trust me, you're much less tempted to throw a $50 miracle of modern technology into the wall ... unless, of course, you decide that it's to blame for the "glitch."