Parents often have to sort through conflicting advice on video games – some experts say they can be good for kids while others emphasize the harms.

And nearly nine in 10 parents surveyed in a new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan say teens spend too much time gaming.

But is there a “healthy” way to game?

“With appropriate boundaries and supervision, video games may be a fun way for some children to enjoy time with each other and for parents to connect with their kids,” says Jenny Radesky, M.D., a developmental behavioral pediatrician and researcher at Mott. “But prolonged gaming has the potential to interfere with other elements of a teen’s life, such as sleep, family and peer relationships and school performance.”

To maximize the perks and avoid pitfalls, she offered some suggestions for families.

5 ways to play video games in a healthy way

1. Set limits: Parents may not always have the most accurate perception of their teen’s gaming tendencies, the Mott Poll finds. Among parents of daily gamers, 54% report their teen plays three or more hours a day (compared to only 13% of teens that do not play every day.) Just 13% of these parents believe their teen spends more time gaming than others, while 78% believe their teen’s gaming is less than or about the same as their peers.

MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Twice as many parents also say their teen boy plays video games every day compared to parents of teen girls. Teen boys are also more likely to spend three or more hours gaming.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours per day of screen-based entertainment. Parents should create a “media plan” that dictates what hours a child can enjoy video games without affecting behavior and homework, Radesky says.

She advises that gaming systems be kept out of bedrooms, have a digital curfew and be put away while at the dinner table. It’s especially important to set clear expectations and limits about gaming during after school hours, so that time for school work, friends, chores or conversation “don’t get elbowed out when the child’s preferred activity is video games,” Radesky says.