A gift for parents who want to keep kids from zoning off into Couch Potato-land with their own holiday treasures, BOB plugs into any electronic device with a screen and kills the power after a time limit you designate. Setup is a breeze, and you’ll love being able to shift the blame when kids beg for just one more hour of TV, computer or Xbox time before bed. "Sorry, sweetie, but BOB says it’s time."

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Original story at Ars Technica by John Timmer

The amount of time kids spend stationary in front of video screens has been a cause of concern for a number of years. The American Medical Association recommends limiting screen time for children due to potential effects on mental development, and the sedentary nature of TV viewing has taken some of the heat for the rising rates of childhood obesity. But, with parents distracted and TVs and computers showing up in every room of the house, how can they enforce these limits? A company called Hopscotch Technology wants to sell them a solution, called BOB.

Despite what the name implies, the product is not an attempt to drive children away from computers by forcing them to interact with Microsoft Bob. Instead, it’s a timed kill switch for the power outlet that your screen is plugged into. The BOB plugs into the wall, and houses a standard three-prong outlet inside a locked case. Users can plug a television or monitor into the internal outlet, and then lock the case so that the screen’s power is under the control of BOB’s software.

That software allows parents to set up multiple accounts, each with a PIN and a time allotment. Children can enter their PIN to enable the screen but, if they exceed the time their parents have allowed, BOB shuts the power down. The filesystems of all-in-one computers may not appreciate repeated, sudden power cuts, but for televisions and independent monitors, it seems like a crude but effective way of keeping your kids from camping out at the tube.

The biggest drawback of the device seems to be that it doesn’t really address the proliferation of screens that’s one of the reasons that parents have such a hard time staying in control. BOBs don’t talk to each other, so even if parents invested in a BOB for each device (an expensive proposition at $99 a pop) kids could simply hop from screen to screen to avert parental control. Children could also clearly work together to exceed the total for any individual child but, hey, at least you’ve taught them a lesson in the power of cooperation.

Original story at ABCNews.com by Jason Rosenfeld

All parents would like their children to read more, watch less television and play fewer video games. Most of these parents, however, don’t have a way to instill these ideals in their kids. The BOB solves this problem.

The BOB is controlled by the master user — the parent — who sets television time limits and viewing restrictions for children. Once the BOB is installed, the restrictions are enforced.

Ease of setup is a major advantage of the BOB; it requires just three steps. First, plug the TV into the BOB. Second, lock the cord. Then plug the BOB into the wall.

The BOB allows children more time for other activities, such as homework and reading.

The BOB costs $99 and can be purchased at http://usebob.com