Age to let kids have certain electronics?

[ktlm]

So DD who will be getting close to 9 at Christmas has made her list for Santa. It includes:
1. laptop or computer
2. cell phone
3. tv
and then a few toys under those main items. I basically took one look and told her she was too young for any of those things and that Santa brought toys, not electronics so she needed to revise her list.

This kid has a mini ipad from Walmart black Friday that her grandparents gave her for Christmas last year and she has taken excellent care of it and uses it quite a bit. Being the negotiator she is, after my rejection, she immediately launched in on how she "needs" a laptop or computer because she can not get on the school recommended websites to do math and other things because her dad is always on our home computer, and that her ipad is not good enough for that because she needs a full real keyboard, and a mouse, and also needs a bigger screen that sits upright to mimic the ones at school. Also, her other grandmother is repeatedly reminding me that I got my own tv when I was 8.

So, am I being too harsh? Should I let her have her own computer/laptop or tv? While I am second guessing myself on those, I'm still standing firm on no phone. Thoughts? How old were your kids when you let them have these things?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My DD will be 9 in February and also wants a lap top for Christmas. She has it on her list for Santa already. She also has an ipad that she uses quite a bit but there are several school sites that she can't access through her ipad.

She's had a tv for a few years since DS got flat screen for his room two years ago on his birthday. She likes to watch tv right before bed in her room. I don't mind that.

She's also been on the cell phone kick and I'm saying ABSOLUTELY NOT. DS got his cell phone in 5th grade because he walked home from the bus. I told her when she's in 6th grade she can get a cell phone. I have to pay a monthly bill for that. She can text while on wifi with her ipad. And facetime.

DS14 has a lap top that he got for his birthday a few years ago and getting them to share...well....sometimes it doesn't go as planned. SO and I have a lap top together but he's afraid the kids will mess it up (I don't blame him) so he doesn't let them use it unless he's right there with them monitoring what they are doing. The kids put a virus on DS's computer a year ago so I really don't want them on my personal lap top.

I think either myself or my XH will get her the lap top for Christmas. But we are NOT doing a cell phone. No way no how.

.

 

[Pigeon]

I got my kids prepaid cell phones (VM Androids for under $50 for the phone) at age 12. Both are teens. Neither one has a laptop or a TV. We are a 1 TV family, and aren't getting more. I will get dd17 a laptop next Christmas since she will need it for college, if she knows where she's going at that point.

We have a family computer and I have a laptop they can borrow if the family computer is in use and they need to do homework.

 

[smitch425]

Our kids have had tvs since they were born. The kids got a Kindle fire for Christmas when they were 6 and 8. DD got a laptop for Christmas when she was 9. The kids each got ipad minis for this past Christmas (9 and 11), and DD just got an iphone 5c last week (she needed it for after school communication, wasn't going to happen this early otherwise). As long as these items are used responsibly, I see nothing wrong with it.

 

[havaneselover]

No cell phones until 12. DS has had an Ipad since he was 7. He gets sucked in and it gets taken away. He has a laptop at his dad's. At my house we have two family laptops and my DD has one for middle school provided by the county.

My rule is no tv in their rooms as long as they live under my roof. I want to do the same with the internet, but with Ipads and Ipods I'm afraid I've already failed.

 

[PrncessA]

DS had our old desktop in his room at age 6 (now 9)but we finally got rid of it a few months ago, now he is begging for a laptop. Same reasons, the sites that the school suggests will not work on his Microsoft Surface.

I don't think we will be buying him one, since we have went through a "no electronics" phase to detox and it has been wonderful! We flat out refuse to let them have TV's in their rooms, we have 3 in the house, if they want to watch TV pick a common area room and go to town. We also do not allow video games even turned on during the week, Monday-Thursday.

We gave middle school as the age when we will talk about the responsibility of a phone.

 

[wenrob]

My two youngest are eight. They will be getting iPad Minis for birthday/Christmas this year. They have had Kindle Fire HDs since their 7th bday. They also have TVs in their rooms, they get an hour a night on timers. The computer they have is in the open in our den and belonged to their older sister who got it when she was 10. (She's 18 now). No phones until 6th grade.

 

[Egdisney]

My kids are 2,4,7 and 10. The oldest has an iPad, 7 year iPod, 4 year old has a Nabi jr. My kids don't have TVs in their room and probably won't until they are much older. My 4 year old and 10 year old could stay up all night watching tv. They are not the types to fall asleep with them on. I didn't have a tv in my room until I was a teenager. There wasn't much space in my room. I feel like not having the tv helped me to develop my love of reading,if I wasn't ready to sleep I had to read. So far my kids seem to share that love-electronics don't in their rooms. I plan on putting a tv in the play area so that they can watch something else if my husband and I are watching. There are a lot of learning apps on the iPad so I don't feel they need a computer just to get on the fun learning sites the school recommends, but we do have a desktop in the family room that is just for the kids to use.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

So DD who will be getting close to 9 at Christmas has made her list for Santa. It includes:
1. laptop or computer
2. cell phone
3. tv
and then a few toys under those main items. I basically took one look and told her she was too young for any of those things and that Santa brought toys, not electronics so she needed to revise her list.

This kid has a mini ipad from Walmart black Friday that her grandparents gave her for Christmas last year and she has taken excellent care of it and uses it quite a bit. Being the negotiator she is, after my rejection, she immediately launched in on how she "needs" a laptop or computer because she can not get on the school recommended websites to do math and other things because her dad is always on our home computer, and that her ipad is not good enough for that because she needs a full real keyboard, and a mouse, and also needs a bigger screen that sits upright to mimic the ones at school. Also, her other grandmother is repeatedly reminding me that I got my own tv when I was 8.

So, am I being too harsh? Should I let her have her own computer/laptop or tv? While I am second guessing myself on those, I'm still standing firm on no phone. Thoughts? How old were your kids when you let them have these things?

Get her a case for her mini with a kick stand, and a $35 bluetooth keyboard from OfficeMax, presto, she's all set up. A mouse isn't really necessary, they can still tap with a finger, and even with a mouse she still has to remove a hand from the keyboard, so there's no difference between the tap and the click.

 

[IamJBo]

No kids here... but there is a significant age gap between my younger sister and I so here are my thoughts...

Out of that list I would go with the computer(desktop) - not a laptop. At the age of 9 I doubt she does anything warranting any crazy computing so the more basic the better and cheaper. - Also you won't feel as bad when the inevitable "necessity" of having a laptop in the later years of high school / college comes around.

I would only ever consider a cellphone if she rode the bus - I didn't get one until I started driving. With as many options as there are today you could get a prepaid plan to keep her in budget - but again this would be a LAST resort.

TV - I honestly believe a shared TV in the common room helps preserve family time versus everyone having their own tv.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My kids are 13 and 11.

There will be no TVs in their bedrooms until they are old enough to buy it themselves. They have never asked, but that will be the answer. Neither of them watch much tv, though, so I'm not sure they will ask.

Cell phone - My oldest got one in 7th grade because he was playing varsity soccer and I wanted him to be able to call if practice was canceled or whatever without having to borrow someone else's phone. He has a Tracfone, no data, and it does what he needs. He wants an iPhone, and he will probably get one the next time we upgrade our phones; he has been very responsible with the phone he has, staying within his minutes and not losing the phone. The youngest doesn't go anywhere without an adult right now, doesn't play any sports, so he does not have or need a cell phone.

Laptop - this is on oldest's Christmas list this year. I don't know if he will be getting it due to cost. We have a laptop (DH's really) and an Mac Mini that sits on a desk in the family room. He has full access to the Mac and uses it to play Minecraft with his friends. Even if he does get a laptop, it will be used in the family room or dining room, not in his bedroom. He occasionally uses DH's iMac to play Minecraft, but he still has to keep it downstairs.

They both have an ipod touch; they use them to watch videos, etc. DS13 uses his to text through imessage with some of his friends. The ipods also stay downstairs because we had an issue with one of them using the neighbor's internet when they were upstairs. Their internet access on the ipods shuts off at 9:00 on school nights, and he was using the neighbor's internet to get around that. (The neighbor's daughter had given them the password when they were all playing Minecraft over there. We made him tell her parents what he had done and they changed the password).

 

[tvguy]

No cell phone until 16, when they were driving.

No laptop or TV until they go away to college.

 

[wendow]

No cell phone until 16, when they were driving.

No laptop or TV until they go away to college.

These are our rules as well

I have 4 kids, oldest is 14yo. She has no phone, no tv and no computer of her own. My dh & I each have a laptop that we will gladly give up for homework or for her to occasionally just get online (email, fun surfing, whatever).

 

[Eureka]

My kids are 13 and 11. The 13 year old has a cell phone, we got it for him this summer because he was working at the pool and needed to text his manager when he arrived and got home. Neither kid has his own tv or laptop. Otherwise, they would never leave their rooms....my older one streams a lot of movies, but downstairs in the family room where we know what he's watching. Probably he does watch on his iPod too but we trust him. They have to share the house laptop for homework, and the 11 year old uses it for mine craft but only when no one else needs it for work or school. They both have iPod touches that we (Santa) got them when they were I think 8 and 10; I've lost track. And even then for a split second we wondered if they were too young. Edited to add that Ds13 does NOT have a smart phone (nor do I for that matter) but we do have a family texting plan. All he needs the phone for is to contact us when he needs to, doesn't need internet. And since it's an unlimited plan, he can text his friends all he wants but I reserve the right to check his phone whenever I feel I need to.

 

[tvguy]

My kids are 13 and 11. The 13 year old has a cell phone, we got it for him this summer because he was working at the pool and needed to text his manager when he arrived and got home. Neither kids has their own tv or laptop. Otherwise, they would never leave their rooms....my older one streams a lot of movies, but downstairs in the family room where we know what he's watching.They have to share the house laptop for homework, and the 11 year old uses it for mine craft but only when no one else needs it for work or school. They both have iPod touches that we (Santa) got them when they were I think 8 and 10; I've lost track. And even then for a split second we wondered if they were too young.

Edited to add that Ds13 does NOT have a smart phone (nor do I for that matter) but we do have a family texting plan. All he needs the phone for is to contact us when he needs to, doesn't need internet. And since it's an unlimited plan, he can text his friends all he wants but I reserve the right to check his phone whenever I feel I need to.

Okay, is the 13 year old volunteering, or working for pay? If so, your state allows kids that young to work?

 

[Eureka]

Okay, is the 13 year old volunteering, or working for pay? If so, your state allows kids that young to work?

They call it working but it's really volunteering at the snack bar at the pool.

 

[stsomewhere]

My kids are 16 and 13 have had their own computers for a five years. Before that they shared ( fought over) the family computer in the basement.

They do use it for school. My youngest has been doing power point presentations since 3rd or 4th grade.

We let them get cell phones when they had activites that they were dropped off for, dance , scouts, sports, plays etc. My son got his in 6th grade and my daughter was in 4th grade.

 

[Jedana]

So DD who will be getting close to 9 at Christmas has made her list for Santa. It includes:
1. laptop or computer
2. cell phone
3. tv
and then a few toys under those main items. I basically took one look and told her she was too young for any of those things and that Santa brought toys, not electronics so she needed to revise her list.

This kid has a mini ipad from Walmart black Friday that her grandparents gave her for Christmas last year and she has taken excellent care of it and uses it quite a bit. Being the negotiator she is, after my rejection, she immediately launched in on how she "needs" a laptop or computer because she can not get on the school recommended websites to do math and other things because her dad is always on our home computer, and that her ipad is not good enough for that because she needs a full real keyboard, and a mouse, and also needs a bigger screen that sits upright to mimic the ones at school. Also, her other grandmother is repeatedly reminding me that I got my own tv when I was 8.

So, am I being too harsh? Should I let her have her own computer/laptop or tv? While I am second guessing myself on those, I'm still standing firm on no phone. Thoughts? How old were your kids when you let them have these things?

DS got a TV and Xbox360 in 2012 for Christmas; he was 9.

He has had a phone for about a year--not a smart phone, just a $5, add minutes monthly type deal.

He doesn't have an Ipad, but wants one. However, DH really dislikes all Apple products, so we might get him a Kindle instead. He likes to play on mine.

No laptop, but he does have access to the house desktop or DH's laptop.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't think there is a right and wrong, just what parents are comfortable doing.

We get our kids their own cell phones when they start middle school because that's the point where it is more convenient for me if they have one - activities are less parent-based and more school-based, there are more "Practice ran long" or "The bus got back early" situations, and they're responsible for getting themselves to and from most activities (and school) on foot or by bike. So that's the milestone we picked for cell phones.

We intended to make the same connection between laptops and high school, but DD13's course load and independent studies were consuming so much time on the family PC that we went out and bought them both laptops last Christmas - DS was 9th grade, so that purchase was planned, but DD was only in 7th so she got hers a bit early.

I really don't remember when we got them their own TVs. Whenever we got tired of sharing the living room TV with their gaming systems, really. DD13 has had a Wii for many years and has a TV in her room for that, and DS has one for his Xbox. Neither of them have cable boxes, so they don't get any channels - they just have their gaming systems, and in the girls' room a hand-me-down DVD player for their library of Disney movies.

For me, a lot of these decisions come down to personality. Some kids have a harder time moderating their use if they have their own systems, or disappear into their rooms with no desire to hang out in the living room with the rest of the family, but we haven't run into that with our kids yet. DS just finished one room of our basement into a "man cave" for his TV, Xbox, and stereo, but right now he's sitting in the living room watching Spongebob with his 6yo sister and playing with the cat, and DD13 doesn't seem to be home enough to use her TV except when the weather is really foul. If either of them was getting carried away or isolating themselves, we'd crack down on the gizmos. But I understand that many parents would rather just avoid the issue until the kids are older rather than give it only to possibly end up having to take it away.

 

[smitch425]

Totally forgot about video game systems in my list earlier. DS has a Wii and a Sega Genesis in his room. In the living room (on the opposite side from the family tv) we have a Wii U and an xbox360/kinect. DD has a game yo Advance and a DSi XL, and DS has a DSi XL and a 3DS XL. We have a playstaytion 2, too, but we never really use it much.