If you were a parent, would you allow your child to use gadgets in early age?

[LuckyStar]

I'm just really confused sometimes with this new trend based on buying really small children various devices. Personally I don't think that it's ok and besides I see no sense in such 'gifts' for such small age. If I were a parent, I wouldn't buy my child any tablets and smartphones at least till teenage years.
What do you guys think?

 

[User19sq]

Hell no. What kind of challenge would it be to let some toddler fight me in Smash?!

But in all seriousness, I'd wait until more adolescent years, like maybe nine or ten years, before buying my kid anything. And even then, it'd likely be a Nintendo Switch instead of a phone. I'm not raising some mainstream trash.

 

[Palamon]

Oh, hell no!

Little kids should be exposed to the world of outside games not games in their phone. Wait until they're in middle school.

 

[Corrin]

Yeah.
Games and things can be very stimulating to the mind and they can keep in touch with their friends

 

[noa]

I would raise my child like this
3- introduce cartoons/games on tablet
5- introduce to handheld game systems and consoles
8- introduce to computers (shared family computer)
10- introduce to internet (with heavy parental restrictions), give them a simple phone so they can call me
13- they can have their own smartphone and computer (i would still monitor their internet use, i wouldnt punish them like my parents did if they got into bad , but i would make sure people arent preying on them/they arent going to sites infested with malware)

Man why am I thinking about this so much I don't even want kids

 

[string555]

I would probably get them some kind of older, used gadgets at first. They will be bound to break some things at a really young age, so after they see how it feels to lose something they like, they should be better at taking care of them in the future.

Also, I think it would be important to teach how to play with them interactively with others, encouraging them to play with other kids, even when using different tech stuff. That can easily be done by showing them how to take turns with it, maybe letting them help as you are playing a game yourself, and asking if you can help when they are playing a game, and so on.

As I mostly saw with my parents teaching me how to play video games as a toddler, I quickly got better than them at most games. So it would be awesome to see my kids do the same, and surpass me. (I don't think that would be too difficult, though XD)

I think the right age for them to have a phone is when they don't really think of it as a toy. I think they could learn this pretty quickly if they started calling random numbers with it, and other things they aren't suppose to do. They wouldn't get in that much trouble with it, but how else do you teach them not to do that? You could tell them not to call random numbers or do things like that, but chances are kids will want to find out why. :P

 

[Raffy98]

I wouldn't buy my child his own smartphone or tablet, but I'd surely introduce him to the internet and how to use it properly rather than completely excluding him from it. I think the right age to get a smartphone is at least 10 years of age.

 

[Zeostar]

I'd probably teach my kids how to use the internet at an early age, the schools now teach kids how to use computers and tablets, so I would try giving them a headstart.

I never want to be a parent though :S

 

[Somewhere_]

My future kids aren't having a cell phone until 8th/9th grade IF they are responsible and mature enough. I've seen social media and cell phones do really bad things. I would also want my children to learn socializing in person, whether they are playing at a park or playing video games. I have very fond memories have playing games with friends with our DS's and home consoles.

I would probably restrict video games somewhat when they are younger and give them more freedom when they are older.

As for using the Internet, sure. When I have a family, I'll probably have a family computer, so ill let my kids use it from a young age. I can use it as a tool for teaching them online safety, as well as give them a little freedom to explore their curiosities, watch videos, etc (if appropriate lol).

I know i sound really strict, but I'm sure this will change as I know more about parenting lol. Thankfully, I dont have to worry about that for a very long time

 

[正真正銘]

In the future, our society will be one heavily based on new technologies. Children born now will probably use autonomous vehicles and essentially be reliant on computers and smartphones their whole life. It would probably be a disservice not to introduce gadgets at a young age. Certainly, I don't think it is healthy for children to be on their tablets all day, but I don't blame tablets and smartphones. The main problem is irresponsible parenting. Many parents have to work all day and leave their children to their devices. This is what creates gadget dependent children. Parents should instead introduce gadgets, but also teach children how to use technology responsibly and teach their children how to manage their time effectively. More importantly, parents should try to spend more time with their children. Many parents have let gadgets replace parenting and this is what is causing the problem.
In the highly unlikely case that I would have children, I would introduce the children to various indoor and outdoor activities. I won't place Draconian limits on how much time they can spend on gadgets or how much time they must spend outside. Instead, I would try to be an active parent. I will give them as much attention as they need and try to adapt to their needs. I think that all too often, parents try to control their children rather than trying to understand them.

 

[Her]

good luck to anyone restricting their children from rapidly advancing technological and social mediums LMAO

i'd simply play it by ear - seeing what my child is interested in, their responses to it and planning an appropriate path. setting up any singular plan of action is rather foolish, i'd much rather listen and learn for the current situation, particularly at the rate of advancement we're going through now. if they do something i find displeasing, then i'll adjust their access as needed. any child i raise is likely going to be able to outsmart my restrictions after a while, with instinctual knowledge of newer technologies (and your children will likely be the same as well) and developing social climates i only have an outsider access to, so it's much more prudent to play off my child rather than forcing them to play off me. i'll still be staying one step ahead of them, maintaining that parent/child level of authority without being authoritative - letting kids they feel they have the illusion of control is essential.

seems pretty rational to me

 

[-Izuna-]

I'm just really confused sometimes with this new trend based on buying really small children various devices. Personally I don't think that it's ok and besides I see no sense in such 'gifts' for such small age. If I were a parent, I wouldn't buy my child any tablets and smartphones at least till teenage years.
What do you guys think?

Yeah, I don't understand this trend too, I really don't think that it's necessary to buy small children separate expensive gadgets. In such age many other activities are much more important for them, besides I think that it's bad for developing their characters too because if they have such expensive things from such early age, they probably won't appreciate them in future :( I think that such things usually make that parents who don't want or can't work hard with their children raising and that's really sad.
If I were a parent, I would allow my child to use such gadgets as computer or tablet from early age but that'll be my own which I can give them for some time. It's not so bad in general I think but such activities will be always controlled by me, especially the time which my child spends playing in various games :) Djusting to technology from small age is important in our modern world and such playing as an additional activity to other ones is ok. Besides I'm planning to use gadgets for teaching my children, it's a new progressive method which is recommended by many teachers and there are many nice special educational cartoons and games like Zebrainy ABCs https://zebrainy.com/ for learning to read for example. I think that such games and cartoons are a really cool thing but again my teaching won't be contentrated only on them :)

 

[gimmepie]

Yeah... keeping kids away from the technology that will define their generation is a bad idea. It's much better that they have the knowledge to navigate the internet properly and the same social opportunities as their peers.

 

[Juno]

I don't think the problem comes with having gadgets and electronics - it's only a problem if parents don't have rules about when and where a kid can play, and for how long.

Although I'm not sure how young we're talking here, like I'm not getting a toddler a phone or DS or anything. If they are old enough to want and ask for one, sure, but I won't introduce a baby to one before the kid even knows what it is. Toddlers, no matter what century it is, are perfectly content with wooden blocks and stuffed animals.

 

[Cool_Porygon]

It is a difficult question to answer. I see parents everywhere use tablets/smartphones to keep their small children busy and quiet and I am not quick to judge them, being a parent drives you crazy sometimes.
I want to give my kids some understanding of what its like to NOT have everything you want at the tips of your fingers, but I'm not going to make them live a tech-free lifestyle either. They will need a computer/tablet for school, but I don't think a kid under 12 needs their own cell phone.
Though I can't wait to explain to them what videotapes were and how we had to rewind them before we returned them to the rental store.

 

[Esper]

While they were still small enough to corral I wouldn't let them use anything with a screen since child development authorities say that's bad for their development. Like, their eyes or something. They'll be fine without tablets for the first few years of life anyway. I'd try to lead by example and cut back on how much tech I use moment to moment, give them non-tech things to play with. It'd be hard and I feel for parents right now struggling with this because, especially with phones, all the tech developers are trying to keep you on their devices 24/7 even though it's not healthy for anyone.

Many parents have to work all day and leave their children to their devices.

Left to their own devices, ba dum tish

 

[Bay]

On the one hand, I would not give my kid their own smartphone until they're close to finishing elementary school since those devices don't come cheap heh. However, I'll let them use my phone and teach them what to expect when they have their own someday. I'll also be fine with them using the computer/internet but make sure nothing bad happens.

With that said, if I see like a 7 year old with a tablet and/or smartphone I won't scream at their parent(s) since I remember when I started having a cell phone during high school older people were screaming at my generation that we're relying too much on technology, so I don't want to fall into that cycle again.

 

[Keiran]

I wouldn't buy my child a phone until they either are capable of staying home alone, or start leaving the house reguarly - which for me was around age 12 (8th grade). Otherwise they can play games on game consoles and use the internet on a computer. A tablet is perfectly fine at any age, but I think the cost and responsibility of a smartphone and service plan should be reserved for an older child. If I had a young child that wanted to call a friend I would just let them borrow my phone or show them how to use a video/voice chat service or app on a desktop or tablet.

 

[Kikaito plush]

In my opinion an child does not need an phone until their reach high school age as before that age most children still are picked up from school by an parent/care/grandparent. I think parents who give their children iphones before age 11/12 are kind of stupid.

 

[Vragon]

Hell no. What kind of challenge would it be to let some toddler fight me in Smash?!

But in all seriousness, I'd wait until more adolescent years, like maybe nine or ten years, before buying my kid anything. And even then, it'd likely be a Nintendo Switch instead of a phone. I'm not raising some mainstream trash.

I concur, course I'd still do a natural regulating thing. I wouldn't want my kid over indulging in it, even though I'm sure it'd be a good experience for them. I'd like to diversify their experiences and while having games is a good way to do that, the great outdoors and other things do that as well.