Gates keeps close eye on kids' computer time

Just because you're the daughter of Bill Gates does not mean you get to play on your computer all day long.

The Microsoft founder said his 10-year-old daughter, his oldest child, was not a hard-core Internet and computer user until this year, when she started at a school where the students use tablet computers for almost everything.

"She became very avid and discovered a lot of computer games, including one that runs on the Xbox 360 called Viva Pinata, where you take care of your garden," he told a business audience in Ottawa.

"She could spend two or three hours a day on this Viva Pinata, because it's kind of engaging and fun."

Gates said he and his wife Melinda decided to set a limit of 45 minutes a day of total screen time for games and an hour a day on weekends, plus what time she needs for homework.

Microsoft's new Vista software enables parents to control the Web sites their children go to but also includes an audit log that records sites they have visited and whom they've been instant messaging.

"Up to some age, to be determined, it's very appropriate for a parent to get a sense of what they're seeing out there and be able to have conversations about it," he said.

"My son said, 'Am I going to have limits like this my whole life?', and I said, 'No, when you move away you can set your own screen limits,'" Gates recounted, to audience laughter.

Story Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

[Razzl]

"Daddy, can we buy a Mac?.."

"Aww, why not?.."

[HandGlad2]

Short memory

Some of you ******** keep forgetting that BG was the single biggest booster of Macs both inside MS and outside of it. The computer on BG's desk at MS was a Mac for a very long time, I don't have any recent information but it's quite possible he still has and uses one.

[dduck123]

A MAC

Why would you use a MAC to do real world problem solving and games.

[jabbotts]

more efficient programming code and use of hardware

That would be one reason anyhow. I'm sure people in the publishing, graphic design and media industries could ad a few others though.

Once you get over Cult of Mac and Microsurf mud war, you'll find that Apple makes a well disigned hardware/software product.

[dduck123]

A MAC

Why would you use a MAC to do real world problem solving and games.

[jabbotts]

you can't fault him as a parent

He may be the anti-christ in business but you can't fault Bill for being a parent. I've heard rumour that he set aside a specific equal amount of inheritance for each child to get them started rather than simply handing each enough to live off for life.