'My teenager was addicted to a chatroom'
My 14-year-old daughter Hannah was completely addicted to the online chatroom MSN. It used to drive me mad. She was looking up mates from her old primary school, which I was pleased about. But no-one else could use the computer because she was on it the whole time. Every time I wanted to check my emails it was a fight.
I nagged and nagged, but the minute my back was turned she'd sneak back on it. I'm sure spending so much time on the computer was making her grumpier too. We had terrible fights and one night, when she'd been on it for over three hours, I was so angry that I threw a glass of water over her and the computer!
The computer packed up and we had a week without MSN. During that time our lives were so much more pleasant. I got my daughter back - she even helped me make dinner one night.
Now I've introduced a points system for all the kids about how much time they can spend on it. Hannah gets an hour a day, and the younger ones get half an hour each a day. They can build a small amount of extra time each week with points earned for doing chores around the house. We've been doing it for a couple of months now and it really works.
Julia Sedgwick, 44, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
More help and advice
- A parents' guide to the Internet
- Top ten tips to keep your child safe online
By Julia Sedgwick
