IPod Touch for 10 year old?

[bigmama67]

DS is turning 10 this December and will have birthday and Hanukkah money from Grandma. He's been bugging us for a phone (which isn't happening) or, lately, an IPad (likewise). He already has a 3DS, and he uses one of our old laptops when he needs to/wants to.

I considered a Kindle Fire, but I already have a Kindle Keyboard and we barely use it. Also, it is too easy for him to get online without us being able to know he's safe.

So I'm thinking the IPod Touch is a good option. I don't know much about it. Is it a good choice for a 10 year old? Do I need 16 GB or is 8 GB sufficient? Is the parental control feature easy to deal with? How much do apps cost, and is there much in the way of free ones?

Thanks for any info.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

DD(9) has an iPod Touch. She has my old one actually, and she uses it more than her DSi.

Is it a good choice for a 10 year old? Do I need 16 GB or is 8 GB sufficient? Is the parental control feature easy to deal with? How much do apps cost, and is there much in the way of free ones?

Will he be downloading music? If so, you might consider the 16G, especially if you want it to grow with him as he gets older. I haven't played with the parental features; I just don't give her the password - she has to come to me to type in my password to download anything. It uses the Apple App store, so there are tons and tons of apps, both free, pay, and free but with additional things you can buy.

 

[wishing4PA]

I believe the new Kindle Fire HDs do have parental controls. It's about time! I'm looking forward to reading this thread as DD8 is all about the latest tech - she wants things I haven't even cost-justified for myself!

 

[dzorn]

DD(9) has an iPod Touch. She has my old one actually, and she uses it more than her DSi.



Will he be downloading music? If so, you might consider the 16G, especially if you want it to grow with him as he gets older. I haven't played with the parental features; I just don't give her the password - she has to come to me to type in my password to download anything. It uses the Apple App store, so there are tons and tons of apps, both free, pay, and free but with additional things you can buy.

Unless something has changed the touch comes in 8, 32 and 64GB. I would go with the 32 as any video takes up alot of space (it does have a video camera)

Denise in MI

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My 10-yr-old got his iPod Touch for his 9th birthday. It's what he really wanted, so I had family members give him Target giftcards, and then in lieu of him having a "friend party" I paid the rest of it. I have to say that over a year later, it's still his favorite thing. He plays with it all the time and takes it almost everywhere. He has the 8-gig and it's enough for him. Yes, he could use more space at times, but we delete apps he doesn't play with anymore, TV shows he's watched several times and doesn't want anymore, etc. He only has about 50 songs on it that he listens to. He likes being able to take pictures with it.

I run his through my own iTunes account, so I control what goes on his iPod. He does not know my password, so any time he wants a new app or song, I have to approve of it. When he wants an app, I look to see if it's age-appropriate and what the reveiws are - if it has more 1-star ratings than 5-star ratings, we don't get it.

When he gets iTunes giftcards, I add them to my account and we track (using the Notes app on the iPod) how much he has spent. Sometimes if he has $1, he'll give it to me in exchange for an app or song. Most apps run 99cents or $1.99. Songs generally run $1.29. I keep my account loaded with iTunes cards rather than have my credit card linked to the account.

My youngest son is only 6, but he loves playing on my iPod Touch, and his brother's. He's decided that's what he wants for his birthday in February, and he wants the same deal his brother got, so I'm pretty sure that will be what he gets.

The best thing I did was to get a SquareTrade warranty on the iPod with the accidental drop and breakage coverage. It was less than $50 for 2 or 3 years. On vacation this summer, my son banged the corner of a table with his iPod in his pocket and it hit the corner of the screen just right and it cracked. I used the warranty - they paid for the postage to return it, fixed it and sent it back, completely free. Well worth the money!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Unless something has changed the touch comes in 8, 32 and 64GB. I would go with the 32 as any video takes up alot of space (it does have a video camera)

Denise in MI

The 5th Generation Touch comes in 32 or 64 GB only, $299 or $399, shipping in Oct. So OP, 8 or 16 GB isn't going to be an option if you buy the latest model. Quite frankly, if you're going to spend that much money, you might consider an iPad 2 or even the new iPad. Or wait and see what the iPad Mini offers, which is supposed to be announced in Oct.

 

[mrudman]

Both my dd's (9 and 11) have Touches, and they LOVE them.

My older one got a 4th generation 8gb for her 11th birthday last year, and younger dd inherited my 2nd generation 8gb one (I got a 4th gen one for Christmas). Younger dd would've gotten a 4th gen one also, but had asked for an AG doll/accessories instead, But she's getting a 4th generation one for her birthday this year, shhh, . A lot of the newer apps she's been wanting aren't supported by the older generation ones anymore.

We have them on their own accounts, which are linked to giftcards only, so I usually give them a $10 giftcard to spend every few months on apps, music, etc.

But 99% of what they've loaded onto theirs have been all the free apps.

Neither of them has run out of room, but they're not real big on downloading music/movies to them, so if you think your DS would be downloading tons of music, you might want to get the 16gb instead.

Have to say though, this probably was their favorite gift of all time so far.. I do limit the time they're allowed to play on them, but they really like playing the multi-player games between each other and me (words with friends, songpop, are you smarter than a 5th grader, drawsome, etc).

Forgot to mention: You can definitely do parental controls on them... before I even gave them the Touches, I deleted the Safari app (internet) off of it, and added a kid-friendly browser called K-9 which blocks all adult content and inappropriate material. I also went into the settings and changed it so that they can only download apps that are rated safe for 12 yrs old or younger and added a security code so they can't change that. I also blocked them from watching any tv shows/movies higher than PG. You can even block them from being able to use Youtube, download apps without a password, etc in the restrictions menu.

 

[Happyjen27]

All I know about the iTouch is my friend's 10 year old got caught googling strippers while using a friend's WiFi.

So, in my mind, parental controls is a must. There are many free hotspots they could use to view internet things you don't want them to view.

 

[monorailsilver]

Two of my 3 kids have an itouch. They both got them the Christmas of 3rd grade. My 1st grader is begging for one now...but she has to wait.

My kids have free reign though. They don't go online to do searches much just because that is not what they do. They mainly use it to listen to music, play games or watch netflix.

They know the password to itunes. Both ipods & my dh's iphone are on the same account. I don't have a credit card attached to it but if they buy anything I get an email. And mainly they do ask if they can buy something. I think they got around $150-$200 combined itunes cash last Christmas plus my dd had some from her birthday in 2011 that she didn't use & I think she got one this year as well. I want to say we still have over $100, heck probably closer to $150 in itunes still left. So they don't buy alot. I made them each buy a movie or two not to long ago just to use up some of their money.

They both have the 8gb & depending on what you have on there the space gets used up. But I go thru the apps with them from time to time to delete some as well as a movie or two they have on there.

I can't tell you about the parental control lock since we don't use it.

I can tell you I do take the ipods at night (or when they misbehave) otherwise they'd be on them all night watching movies or playing games or my dd would be texting her friend who shouldn't have hers at night.

The apps range from free to a few dollars. As does the music.

My dd is 11 & will be getting a phone next year "everyone gets a phone when they graduate 6th grade or before they enter middle school." So I am glad I didn't get her the 16 or 32.

 

[TheRatPack]

My almost 10 year old probably wouldn't use a IPod touch too much.....she plays her DS a lot but doesn't really utilize the internet setting on it. My oldest 2 got IPods when they were closer to 13? If your 10 year old is ready for one though....why not.

 

[kristenrice]

I bought DD7 a refurbished 32GB iPod Touch from the Apple store for $180. She also received a $15 iTunes gift card which I loaded into her account. Any time she downloads or updates an app, she has to input her password. She knows what it is, but she always has me type it in so I know what and when she is downloading something.

She watches a lot of movies and TV shows on Netflix and she also streams the kids station on Pandora. She has found a lot of the free apps that she likes so that has kept her quite entertained. She has also discovered that when we go to Target, she can stop at the Starbucks counter and get the free app and free song that they offer every week.

I decided to get her an iPod of her own because she was always stealing mine. Since she couldn't download any of the games she wanted, she'd get the home phone (an Android) and load up on all of the free games in the Google Play store. Now that she has her own iPod, I was able to free up the memory in the phone. It's so funny watching DD7 show DH how to search for apps and load them onto HIS phone.

I would definitely check out the refurbished products at apple.com. They have the same 1-yr warranty and they look just like new when they arrive. The shipping is super fast (and free!) and they are packaged just like a brand new iPod. All three iPods in our household were ordered as refurbished and I have had no issues with any of them.

 

[tiggger1]

my dd9 got her ipod touch for her first communion. she uses it daily, mainly for watching netflix and going on youtube.. she also using it for the camera and to facetime her cousin....

 

[ceecee]

Yes, you still need the parental controls on the iTouch as well as the Kindle.

 

[Colleen27]

My DD got hers when she was 10 and loves it. She's all but handed her DS down to DD4 since we gave her the iPod Touch last Christmas.

I would recommend the 16G simply because it is much more versatile. Even with the better memory capacity, a few movies (we have the cord to hook it into a TV for in the van or at hotels) and some music plus photos/videos taken with the camera eats up a lot of space. An 8G wouldn't be adequate for how DD11 uses it.

I can't tell you much about parental controls because we don't use them. DD knows the internet rules well from having basically free access (I do check history, but have no filter software) on our two PCs so I assume she can handle it until she shows me otherwise.

 

[Leajess99]

My 9 year old ended up with my Ipod Touch that I won in a drawing as I had no use for it and both her older siblings have one. Her's is only 8gb and that stinks as the space is taken very quickly. I am thinking of getting her a new bigger one for her Christmas and birthday gift this year.

She also has DSi which she rarely ever plays as well as her Nook Color which she also loves. The Touch is easier for her to carry in her pocket when we are out and about.

As for Itunes, neither of my girls have free reign to that. They earn their apps/music unless they were given an itunes card of their own. They also do not surf the web as they have never been into that.

 

[DawnM]

My 8 year old pretty much has taken over mine now that I have an iphone. He loves it, BUT, I do regret getting only 8gb. We are constantly having to delete stuff.

BTW: We have downloaded an app called Pinger and he has his own phone number now and can text for free with it and make calls for .02 per min. This only works in wifi, but he is thrilled with it.

When I went to San Antonio last month and was gone for 4 days, he texted about 50 times and called me a few times a day, all from his ipod touch.

ETA: Oh, and I have an otterbox on it and have since day 1. I strongly recommend a sturdy case from the min. your child gets it.

 

[melliej]

We just got my daughter an ipod touch for her 7th birthday and I have no regrets. The parent controls are awesome. You can completely disable Safari and the App store; lock it so that they can't delete/add apps without your password; limit shows/songs/movies by their rating, etc. She is not a big video game person, but I like that a lot of the games are free and the ones that are not are very low in cost. I do recommend paying a couple bucks for the apps so that no ads show up while they are playing. I think she likes having her own music the most and the option to Facetime friends (only with contacts we input). There is a great "Find My iphone" app that works for the ipod too. It can erase the data if it has been stolen or simply track where the device is located if lost (you need another apple device with the same app installed for it to work). As far as storage, it depends on what you have on it. Movies will take up more space (she has the Muppets and I think it is over 1GB).

 

[StephMK]

Last year, we got DS10 a Nook Color thinking it'd be perfect since he loves games and reading. Well, it was a bust and he really wanted his sister's touch. We ended up giving the Nook to DH and got DS an ipod this year. He loves it. It has better apps, he will watch youtube videos on it, and he really loves to listen to music on it.

I keep the passwords and they have to have me input them in order to buy anything. I thought DD12 was ok to know it but after about $100 in a month buying tv shows & games, I realized she wasn't able to handle it yet either!

 

[bigmama67]

Wow, thanks, everyone...great info! I am convinced this is the way to go. Now I just need to figure out our best option - I still like the idea of 16GB which would mean a 4th generation, but they are becoming harder to find. I'm certainly open to a refurbished one but we'll see where things are. I do recall last year TRU offered an 8GB Touch for $199 plus you got a gift card...that was Thanksgiving night. I wasn't going for that, then, (obviously), but I know many people who were thrilled by this.

 

[newdeal]

Rumor has it they will announce a 7.85" ipad mini (down from the currant 9.7") in mid october, it supposedly has thinner side bezels also. They are saying it will have the same screen resolution as the ipad2 and the same processor etc. likely it will be at a $299 price point so that may be something he would use and is cheaper than a full size ipad.