[margalabargala]

I was raised similarly to your cousins. We had fairly strictly limited times when we could watch TV, or especially, play computer games. As I got older, and started having more freedom, I would frequently use that freedom to play excessive amounts of games for an unhealthy amount of time, to the point where other important things like schoolwork sometimes suffered. The restrictions made it very difficult for me to develop self-control where tv and video games are concerned.

There are some caveats there. The restrictions on screens as a child meant that I was forced to find other ways to entertain myself, both via using my imagination and via spending time in the outdoors, which both formed some excellent childhood memories for myself and laid a foundation for some of my favorite characteristics about myself as an adult.

At any rate, I'm fortunate that I was/am able to be functional despite having the above-mentioned self-control issues; I now have a graduate degree and a great career. I'm now in my 30s and have parenthood coming (looming!) in a few months. We have not yet fully decided what our screen time rules will be.

[croutonwagon]

I would say part of it too is nature (vs nurture). Those same cousins never developed that propensity into adulthood at all. And its likely that was due to how well they were parented overall.

Myself had a bit of a different household and those things I had to learn on my own. The lack of restrictions made me grow up a bit sooner. Neither really right or wrong. But some people dont have the best self control (even in adulthood). Ive brought that up with the WFH conversations here. Theres bias here because i would wager many are high performers and have great self control, but working with people I have noticed many adult colleagues arent that well self disciplined and putting them in the office setting does help.