Weekend Open Forum: What tech do your kids have and how is it managed?

[David Matthews]

If you remember, I wrote an article back in September about parental controls for iOS. I focused on that (outside of the fact that it was iPhone tip week) because my daughter has an iPad. Apart from that, the only other tech my daughter has is a five-year-old HP Pavilion for schoolwork.

Allowing children to use technology (smartphones and tablets in particular) can be a bit contentious among some parents. While I personally won't allow my daughter to have a phone until she's nearly a teenager, other parents flat out ban screens. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife didn't allow their children to have a mobile phone until age 14.

A 2015 study from the University of Iowa found that by age two, 90 percent of the children examined had a moderate ability to use a tablet (half of them could use an iPad by age one). Clearly, children have a massive aptitude for learning technology quickly.

The problem for parents then becomes how to manage screen time in order to prevent addiction. That leads to this week's question: What tech do your kids have and how early would you expose them to it?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/71510-weekend-open-forum-what-tech-do-kids-have.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

My kids purchase and manage their own tech. I'm sure they should be able to that for themselves now seeing they're both business owners and close to, and in their 40's.

 

[dirtyferret]

I have two toddlers so they have play laptops designed for toddlers. The scary part is if we leave our cell phone or tablet on the couch they grab them, know how to turn on the screen, launch apps, and use their pointer finger to scroll or slide through the app.

 

[Julio Franco]

My three kids have iPads, but they have limited daily usage time (up to 1 hour, on the days that they use them) and restrictions so no browser, and many other applications where undesired content could pop up. So they basically got YouTube Kids, Netflix, some pre-approved games, and for my eldest access to 1-2 more apps that are age appropiate and can be monitored.

 

[Panda218]

Who needs kids when you can have all the tech yourself?

 

[Tgard]

4 kids all grown up and on their own. Now I get to argue with them about letting the grandchildren have too much tech much too early.

 

[EClyde]

I gave my kids Numberaids

 

[EClyde]

When I was a kid, tech was TV and I had no restrictions. Tech was being outside and playing catch or baseball...again no restrictions. My father had Playboy magazine and assorted porn (hmmm why does that chick have a banana in her mouth ?) Pop never knew that I was looking. Today you need restriction on tech

 

[davislane1]

My father had Playboy magazine and assorted porn (hmmm why does that chick have a banana in her mouth ?)

Playboy. The original "Food Network."