Payback time: Bill Gates limits his kids' computer use

Young Americans forced by a parent to shut down Final Fantasy XIII mere seconds before acquiring 1000 Experience Points can no longer secretly wish Bill Gates was their father. According to Reuters, the Microsoft Corp. (NYSE:MSFT) founder and uber-philanthropist is not the only dad out there slightly irked by the sheer computer endurance exhibited by kids these days.

Until this year, when Gates' 10-year-old daughter changed schools, she'd shown no interest in the internet. Her new school, however, requires students to use tablet computers for pretty much everything -- classwork, P.E., even during food fights in the cafeteria. "She became very avid and discovered a lot of computer games, including one that runs on the Xbox 360 called Viva Pinata, where you take care of your garden," he told a group in Ottawa. "She could spend two or three hours a day on this Viva Pinata, because it's kind of engaging and fun."

Now, if kids played nothing but gardening games all day long that would be one thing. It's titles like Medieval 2: Total War, Rush for the Bomb and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl that cause concern. Nevertheless, Mr. Gates -- who pretty much started all this with his Silly Valley pals -- said he and his wife Melinda decided to limit his daughter's computer time to 45 minutes per weekday, one hour per day on weekends. "Up to some age, to be determined," he said, "it's very appropriate for a parent to get a sense of what they're seeing out there and be able to have conversations about it."

Which is one way of saying it. But breathe a sigh of relief, people: the new Windows Vista software is enabled with parental controls, allowing web page blockers, an audit log and details on kids' Instant Messaging.

Just please don't block them from Speak, the Hungarian Rapper.

B. Brandon Barker is the author of the novel Operation EMU.