Bill Gates clamps down on daughter's internet time

Sure, we've seen individuals getting their hand slapped (or worse) for browsing the internet a bit too often, but you'd assume that having a dad who envisioned the Redmond powerhouse and pays the bills by way of computing would be the perfect father figure for the computer-addicted. Apparently, that's not exactly so, as a recent Reuters report tells of Bill Gates himself clamping down on his 10-year old daughter's internet and gaming time. According to Bill, his oldest gal wasn't even into the 'net until this school year, where tablet PCs became a necessary tool, but now that she's found access to a never-ending supply of information, her habits have suddenly changed. She latched onto Viva Piñata, purportedly playing for "two to three hours per day," after which her health started deteriorating and her chore accomplishments plummeted. Although we mention those last bits in jest, Mr. Gates slapped down a "45-minutes per day" law for non-school related computing tasks on the weekdays, and added just 15 minutes for weekends, probably garnering quite the evil eye and stirring up early thoughts of rebellion in his youngster. Seriously Bill, if you're that worried about daddy's little girl stumbling upon some form of cyber predator, there's always the parent-approved IM-Me, but throwing time restrictions on your own products is just a tad illogical, no?

[Via BloggingStocks, thanks Randall]

[Tom @ Feb 21st 2007 8:00PM]

Let him raise his daughters. Kids spend way too much time on the web and/or games. Send them outside. Life is to be lived while you are young. When you get old and infirm, MAYBE it's okay. I haven't decided. Carry on.

[gilrain @ Feb 21st 2007 7:29PM]

On the contrary, we should applaud a leader in IT demonstrating how to manage the dangers of gaming and the Internet: with solid parenting, rather than lobbying the government to manage their children for them, or suing for censorship of content.

This is an excellent example set by a technology authority.

[Serge @ Feb 21st 2007 7:29PM]

Dear Engadget,

You guys rock at tech stuff, leave the parenting to the parents. You can criticize every aspect of parenting if you chose to. It is his kid, if he wants punish her by taking away internet, hitting her, forcing to eat liver and onions, or good ol' sending her to her room, its his choice.

[LukeA @ Feb 21st 2007 7:37PM]

True irony: she has an iBook.

[Ivan @ Feb 21st 2007 7:39PM]

He probably got pissed when he found her using Firefox.

[TheWakeUpCall @ Feb 21st 2007 7:46PM]

Where do people find out stuff like this? Surely he wouldn't go round telling people, are they stalking him?

[Matt @ Feb 21st 2007 7:47PM]

If anything's affecting her health, it's her Gates Family RF Tag implant. :)

[Kronk @ Feb 21st 2007 7:49PM]

How many of her 45 minutes are spent waiting for Windows to boot?

[Michal G @ Feb 22nd 2007 12:10AM]

44.9 :)

[Demaar @ Feb 21st 2007 7:54PM]

@Kronk
Don't make me roll my eyes at you!

Srsly though, every parent should closely monitor and control their children's gaming and computer habits. He's obviously setting her up to be a responsible adult when she grows up. Good for him.

[Tom @ Feb 21st 2007 7:54PM]

Gates was up here in Canada doing a little PR show with Prime Minister Steven Harper yesterday, pledging money towards an aids vaccine. This was yesterday's news Edgadget, way to be on the ball.

[somberj @ Feb 21st 2007 7:58PM]

Strange that he's restricting internet and gaming time JUST when these features are available in Vista. Do you think Microsoft pays his daughter as part of their marketing team?

[Triple8 @ Feb 21st 2007 8:11PM]

I don't understand why this article was posted, let alone written. It's absolutley normal for a parent to be concerned about their child's sudden extended computer usage, and apply rules and times limits. This parent just happened to be famous. If I wrote an article about some guy in the U.S. who did the same thing, would you care?

[michael @ Feb 21st 2007 8:16PM]

What's with you people? He's just a concerned parent. He's only doing what's best for his daughter. I mean sure, the rules seem a bit strict, but this is between him and her, not something for the whole world to criticize on.

[Ceejay @ Feb 21st 2007 8:14PM]

I dont get this article. Do we hate bill for not applying stricter parental controls into Windows or are we applauding his parental skills? Sure Bill can just go run his multi-billion dollar company and let his offspring be taken care of nannies. But he's actually taking responsibilities. A multi-billion hier to the company doing chores?! Blasphemy!

[Mr.President @ Feb 21st 2007 8:16PM]

I can understand his concern, but 45 minutes? Good lord....

[zmanforever @ Feb 21st 2007 11:01PM]

I bet this has got to be the most interesting article posted on eGadget today; sadly :/

[MacVicta @ Feb 21st 2007 8:27PM]

Who the hell are any of you (Engadget included) to tell Bill Gates how and how not to raise his child?

[jay @ Feb 21st 2007 8:27PM]

Well if Bill only had access to a computer for 45 minutes a day when he was growing up, we would be living in a different world. If any thing I would think that his daughter would be coding and programming at a 10th grade level.

[adam.c @ Feb 21st 2007 8:54PM]

45 minutes... perhaps he accepts that having a Windows machine connected to the net for more time than that is a major security risk.

[ntgxtreme @ Feb 21st 2007 8:39PM]

As someone with full body muscle and nerve condition that is tendonitis related but not diagnosable by doctors so far, I wholeheartedly applaud Bill's strict policies with his daughter.

I've long since told my fiancee, who suffers from some minor tendonitis as well, that our future children will be prevented from using the computers as much as we have in our childhood and encouraged to participate in athletics and outdoor activities.

Let them be children while they still have their health and energy, and let the computers come in later in their life when their careers and education begin to depend on it and slowly rot away their body as it has mine.

[Scott Papenfuss @ Feb 21st 2007 8:45PM]

Gates cares more about his children than his company! What kind of executive is he?

I'm selling my stock in Microsoft.

[Greg Legowski @ Feb 21st 2007 8:47PM]

A concerned parent paying attention to what his kid is up to is a BAD thing?

Shame on Engadget -- this is a GOOD example of what parents should be doing.

[Christopher Ried @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:08AM]

9 hrs sleep = 38% of a 24 hr. day
6 hrs school = 25% of a 24 hr. day
2 hrs homework = 8% of a 24 hr day
45 min watching = 3% of a 24 hr day
__________________-
7.25 hrs left for eating, family time, TV, Movies, Outside, hanging out

I would have to say that he isn't unreasonable, she is only 10 yr. old.

[e_rocm @ Feb 21st 2007 9:03PM]

"throwing time restrictions on your own products is just a tad illogical, no?"

This Reuters report is blown way out of proportion. He isn't restricting her use of a computer, he is just taking advantage of one of Vista's new features to block internet and game access because he believes his daughter is wasting too much time on these activities.

He has noticed her health diminishing and her chore accomplishments plummeting. I don't think this is a matter of "daddy's little girl stumbling upon some form of cyber predator." He probably just wants her to get outside and enjoy being a kid while she still can. What is so wrong with that?

I love Engadget, but this article is ridiculous.

[tleblanc4 @ Feb 21st 2007 9:26PM]

Wow, come on Bill. Everyone spends lots of time on the pc. Why? Because it's better than the school systems. I've learned more about history than I do in school, because I use the internet. Now, it may not always be accurate, but neither is school. I mean, in elementary school, they tell us that Christopher Columbus discovered America, right? Well, once I got into middle school, that was disproved.

I'm even learning programming, and graphic design, and film, from the internet, and I'm only 15.

[turtlesoup @ Feb 21st 2007 9:34PM]

"clamping down on his 10-year old daughter's internet and gaming time. According to Bill, his oldest gal wasn't even into the 'net until this school year, where tablet PCs became a necessary tool,"

what kind of f**ed up world do we live in where people think it's NECESSARY for 10 year olds to use a tablet PC for school?

[john emm @ Feb 21st 2007 11:39PM]

Props to Mr. Gates for being a parent. Nowadays, we have politicians
who do not know what the hell they are talking about blame 'video games'
and 'internet use' while no one points their fingers at the parents who
in the end are responsible for their children's habits and behavior. Great
job Bill. You're a good dad.

[paul34 @ Feb 21st 2007 9:53PM]

I bet she was downloading Vista from BitTorrent!

[Yubal @ Feb 21st 2007 9:59PM]

what the hell... I need to do this too!!! I am addicted!!!! 1 hour a day sounds fair...

[[sinz] @ Feb 21st 2007 10:21PM]

Isn't this why MS spent all that money developing those creepy ass surveillance teddy bears (pedobears?) so that people can monitor their children? Why doesn't Big Willy have a bank of 30 108" LCDs in front of him so he can monitor his children across the globe? Ah well, at least we know that while he's imposing DRM on all his consumers we don't have to deal with his IRLRM.

[TPW @ Feb 21st 2007 11:42PM]

What is wrong with you people? In a comments section, people give their opinions, and 45 minutes is harsh! Two dinky hours on the weekend is just a nasty tease. I have the internet to thank for my job, and that means I thank for anything my income has provided me.

My parents were extremely diligent, too, so I made sure I sought higher education in other towns and states. Little Gates can, too, in eight years, give or take some months. Then again, if Bill's draconian strictures are needed to keep his child from loosing a film of herself having intimate moments with someone's ex-husband and becoming a sensationalized plague on society, more power to him!

There was a time when people couldn't see why kids had to have calculators for school, and now we see the same lack of understanding about tablet PCs. I, for one, am glad that we have progressed beyond India ink bottles, quills and one-room schoolhouses!

My husband wants it known that he sides with Bill. Good thing I won't take time off from the net to raise any kids :)

[Michal G @ Feb 22nd 2007 12:12AM]

I would love to be the son of Bill Gates..

I would get a pirated copy of vista ultimate and then when he attempts to time restrict me find a workaround and just piss him off ;)

Lol, then again if I was his son and got caught pirating Vista who would I pay when I settle?

[mike @ Feb 22nd 2007 12:53AM]

"True irony: she has an iBook."

True irony: they don't make those anymore.

[danjo1 @ Feb 22nd 2007 1:30AM]

He should force her to browse the internet on a computer with 512MB of RAM running Vista

[some dork @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:07AM]

WOW!,Bill Gates has something in common with normal folks!Oh well! I still hate him.That asshole can write a check to end world hunger,forget he wrote the check,and not even get an over-draft fee.

[ethana2 @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:19AM]

"Hey, honey. What is this code for? WHAT? You're making a plugin for BERYL!?!? That's it. I'm taking a way your C++ compiler.... and from now on, you only get 45 minutes on your PC per day. And I'm moving you over to Vista immediately, so I can monitor and restrict every little thing you do. And if I catch you doing stuff like this again, I'm going to install a TPM in this machine and replace the keyed torx screws with rivets! Kids these days. Whatever happened to family loyalty!?"

And a side note: Physical activity is overrated. Get what exercise you need, spend more time enriching your mind. Learn Spanish. Learn C++ and Python. Develop OSS. Play sudoku. Life is only so long. And soon, the brain will be the one body part we won't be able to swap out on a whim. Might as well concentrate your efforts on it. There is a balance, and I'm not it, but there's more to life than physical action. Really. All I ever hear is the opposite. Pathetic.

[Ay @ Feb 26th 2007 5:01PM]

I have a young one and have to limit his time spent on the pc/consoles. Not anything as draconian as what Mr. Gates enforces. I agree some level of restriction has to be put in place, otherwise they'd play all day.

[Ian @ Feb 22nd 2007 3:23AM]

Solid parenting from BillG.

Note that he didn't whine to congress to take care of this issue like other parents do. The man is obviously focused on his family and his philanthopy and not on MS. That is cool in my book. He can jsut walk away and let SteveB run it into the ground.

[matcha @ Feb 22nd 2007 5:17AM]

He must be worried about her switching to Linux.

[Chicksta @ Feb 22nd 2007 10:18AM]

First of all, I have to disagree with Christopher Ried's timetable. Aside from the glaring omission of any personal hygiene (!), school is more like 8-9 hours for that age; I'd give it at least 9 including transportation to/from (I'll assume a private school). So, let's just say that it's 4 p.m. when she returns home; there's still eating, homework, and so on, so for an average kid they're lucky to have 2-3 hours a day of fun/free time anyways. I'm not sure I see why you'd include activities like TV and movies either; they're essentially the same thing, but passive and less educational (I'll assume that a kid that age does not go out to a movie on a weeknight, so it's a movie at home).
I agree with the sentiment that there's no reason to think anything is great about forcing kids to go outside instead of learning. If a kid has a decent diet, has recreational time at school, etc., then why force them to not be learning if that's their preference? Other cultures push their kids to learn, which is why they're stomping us in terms of educated workforce. We should encourage the kids who want to learn and stop bullying them for not being simpletons. Why not let outdoor types be outdoor types and indoor types be indoor types?
As to developing injuries, I certainly know more people that have scars and disabilities from playing outdoors as kids than from reading books. I don't see that the potential risk of carpal tunnel or whathaveyou is that great, or that the potential risk of injury should keep anyone from doing what they love, but certainly it'd be good to teach kids proper habits and encourage ergonomic accessories being used.
I'm really responding more to the baseless comments than to the article, because as far as I'm concerned the article is a PR fluff piece. None of you are Bill Gates' child, so none of you have any idea what kind of parent or man he is; you see what targeted PR reveals, and nothing more. It's very convenient that he decides to 'reveal' whatever aspect of his parenting make him seem more human while still relating to his products, but really, the only reason this information was revealed was for marketing.

[shiFThere @ Feb 22nd 2007 1:13PM]

Considering his fascination with computers, I'm sure if Bill Gates parents had done this to him when he was young, he would use every trick in the book to try and get free net access.

[uberfu @ Feb 22nd 2007 4:40PM]

especially when that was about the same age he started learning the art of HACKING himself_

[Nish Vamadevan @ Feb 22nd 2007 10:11PM]

45 Mins seems fair for a 10 year old! And who the heck are you tell him how not to raise his own child?

[edjah j man @ Feb 24th 2007 8:38PM]

She spends 45 minutes trying to install drivers on Vista that actually work well.

--EJM

[Rolf Shervey @ Feb 26th 2007 8:39PM]

This is a great example of good parenting.

I'm a regular reader of Engadget and agree with the previous comments that they should stick to commenting on what they do best: gadgets, not parenting.

The "tad illogical" comment is particularly shallow and obviously not based on much thought. I'm sure that the CEO of a pharmaceutical company would encourage and set rules for the responsible use of pharmaceutical drugs for their children, and the list of parallel examples goes on. "Slapping restrictions on" internet usage as the article's author puts it is the responsibility of every parent- and Bill Gates should understand this (and apparently- he does) very well.

[james_khan @ Feb 27th 2007 7:19PM]

Gates seems to have double standards - protects his daughter, but subjects the rest of us with the usual internet crap!

[john @ Mar 13th 2007 11:13AM]

I'm sure the younger Gates could have her internet browsing time increased if she agreed to measures that would prevent her from visiting Apple or Google sites and that would require her to spend at least 90% of her time on Microsoft sites.