NBA superstar Chris Paul has some strict limits on when his kids can use electronics
Harry How/GettyChris Paul and his son.NBA superstar Chris Paul loves all things tech: games, gadgets - listening to his Sonos setup while he's in the shower. But he recognizes that sometimes it can be too much.
"My favorite [cell phone] game is Candy Crush," he says. "It became addictive. It was...kind of a problem," he laughs.
That's why, even in this era of 24/7 connectivity, Paul sets up strict rules for his two children around electronics.
"Me and my brother were always trying to play games [growing up]," Paul explains. "But my parents wouldn't let us play during the week. Only on the weekends. And it's funny, that's the same thing I do with my kids. With their iPads, they can't play during the week. But they remind me of me and my brother. Friday after school, they want their iPad."
Paul isn't alone in trying to limit electronics usage. Even Steve Jobs tried to limit how much his children became addicted to their gadgets.
"Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at a big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things," journalist Nick Bilton writes. "No one ever pulled out an iPad or computer."
When Chris Paul was growing up, he and his brother had all the gaming systems. "For Nintendo, 'Double Trouble,' we used to play that all day every day," he chuckles. "Then 'Bill Walsh College Football' for Sega Genesis, then we got into the '2K's." And on computers, Paul says he was the one who always knew all the keyboard shortcuts.
What games does he like now besides Candy Crush and his own recently-launched game? Paul peruses his phone: NBA Escape, a dominoes game, Monkey Zoo Banana. "I got kids," he explains.