So we have this problem at home. Our kids watch too much TV. We have an established limit, 30 minutes each and they can watch the other kids 30 minutes too. Which means no more than an hour a day. Our TV is upstairs in its own room and my wife and I aren’t up there all the time to make sure the kids only watch 30 minutes. Usually one of us walks in and says “How much TV have you watched?” Then they scream and apologize and turn the TV off. Now since we didn’t really catch them, they obliquely confessed, we usually don’t punish them. Or they will fall back on the kids favorite, “I don’t remember”.

Awhile back we read this on Boing Boing. I’ve been meaning to look at it for awhile and finally remembered today. After reading the info on how it works I realized it wouldn’t work for use because the only coax in my system in the cable from the satellite dish, and I want that to continue so TIVO can record things.

Looking around the site I found TV Allowance, which looks like a better system. It allows you to set the amount of time and it controls the power to the TV, not the signal. Which means it will work with my system, which uses RCA plugs through a receiver for all inputs. Only problem is we let them play GameCube alot more than watch TV, but this would block both.

I’ve asked to be notified when TV Allowance ships, and well probably buy one.