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[quote=Anonymous]You may be “happy to make him volunteer”, but if you make him he’s not a volunteer.

Does he work hard at school, do his homework, and study for tests?  That’s his job.  This is supposed to be his vacation.  Would you like to be told what to do on your vacation?  Granted, his vacation is almost certainly longer than yours, but you’re an adult and it’s expected that adults should work more than kids.

It sounds like between swim team and coaching, he’s basically holding down a part-time job already, and you want him to take on another - for free?  Can you imagine how you would feel if someone told you that when you finally get a vacation, your break from work is to do more work for free?

I really don’t think screens are that bad, they’re just another form of media.  Yes, a lot of it is junk, and there are definitely done things to avoid, but there is also some fabulous content available.  Even gaming with his friends provides social interaction and practice problem solving.

I think the optimal solution would be to tell him he’s not allowed to visit websites that are inconsistent with your family values, set blocks/monitor to ensure he sticks to your guidelines, maybe even suggesting some productive things to explore, and then let him do it when he wants (as long as he keeps up with his responsibilities.

If you’re just adamantly opposed to screens, go ahead and take them away, but give him some freedom outside of that constraint.  He is structured during the school year.  His mornings are structured during vacation.  People need to have some unstructured time.  At worst, he’ll get bored and start looking forward to school, which is not a bad thing.  Unless he gets into trouble, thus proving he needs supervision and structure, he needs the chance to relax and recharge for another year of hard work at school. 
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