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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > Questions for parents

Questions for parents
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HealthBuffMe
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Jul 7, 2012, 07:01 PM
 
For parents:

What do you think is the minimum age for parents to let their children use an iPhone/iPad?
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 8, 2012, 05:13 AM
 
Use, or own?

Use, 2.

Own? Used? Perhaps. I am just now thinking of handing my original iPod down to my 10 yr old. He is thrilled. The ipod is older than he is. He is also saving money, and thinking of an iPod Touch.
     
shifuimam
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Jul 8, 2012, 07:35 AM
 
My bf's best friend's kid saved up her own money to get a Kindle Fire when she was eight or nine, which I think can be an appropriate age depending on the kid.

Here's the thing: kids are impressionable and easily distracted. If you give a kid something like an iPad, you won't as easily be able to know what they're doing online, and you also give them a way to sit in front of a screen for hours rather than doing things that develop the cognitive skills necessary to flourish in life.

Electronic entertainment is inherently pretty passive - even if you're playing a game that requires some thought (like a puzzle or an adventure game), you're still sitting, staring at a screen, and not interacting with the real world around you.

So to sum up: it's not so much about what age you let a kid have a tablet, it's more about the way you instill discipline in the kid so that they don't end up an Internet-addicted lump.
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gooser
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Jul 8, 2012, 09:09 AM
 
very well put.
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Spheric Harlot
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Jul 8, 2012, 12:26 PM
 
One thing that I'm trying to figure out though:

How to let a five-year-old select her own music/audio plays without burning everything to CD/recording it to cassettes?
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 8, 2012, 02:11 PM
 
playlists? I have certain playlists for the kids.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 8, 2012, 04:57 PM
 
My daughter doesn't have a computer in her room.

Playlists are kind of pointless that way.

The idea is that she can choose stuff without my interaction.

When I was a kid, I had cassettes for that. It seems the only option nowadays is burning CDs and printing covers. But that seems so last-century.

The other option being a touch, with cover flow. Like hell I'm getting my five-year-old an iPod touch.
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 9, 2012, 03:12 AM
 
Um, that's true. I guess I was thinking for an older kid, I let him borrow my ipod but tell him which playlists to stick with. Reading wouldn't work as well for 5 yr olds... what about a used Nano, that does cover art?

Then again, I still have physical CDs so letting the younger one browse by cover art there is still easy. Yay last century!
     
Big Mac
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Jul 9, 2012, 04:00 AM
 
What about a shuffle, SH?

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jul 9, 2012, 05:01 AM
 
The problem with the shuffle is that she wouldn't be able to select anything.

She's very particular about what she wants to hear, which we've always encouraged, and apart from that, a shuffle isn't useful for audiobooks/-plays.

I like the nano touch suggestion. I think I may go the burn-CD solution for now, though, and then pass on the old non-color iPod when she learns to read it.

Thanks for the input!
     
HealthBuffMe  (op)
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Jul 24, 2012, 09:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
Use, or own?

Use, 2.

Own? Used? Perhaps. I am just now thinking of handing my original iPod down to my 10 yr old. He is thrilled. The ipod is older than he is. He is also saving money, and thinking of an iPod Touch.
Quite an economical idea. It's quite good to know that your son gets motivated on saving up for what he wants.
     
HealthBuffMe  (op)
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Jul 24, 2012, 09:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
My bf's best friend's kid saved up her own money to get a Kindle Fire when she was eight or nine, which I think can be an appropriate age depending on the kid.

Here's the thing: kids are impressionable and easily distracted. If you give a kid something like an iPad, you won't as easily be able to know what they're doing online, and you also give them a way to sit in front of a screen for hours rather than doing things that develop the cognitive skills necessary to flourish in life.

Electronic entertainment is inherently pretty passive - even if you're playing a game that requires some thought (like a puzzle or an adventure game), you're still sitting, staring at a screen, and not interacting with the real world around you.

So to sum up: it's not so much about what age you let a kid have a tablet, it's more about the way you instill discipline in the kid so that they don't end up an Internet-addicted lump.
Well said! Discipline should really come first. I admit that even adults when get hooked with a game (also applies to TV programs and series) become couch potatoes really. I am guilty!
     
HealthBuffMe  (op)
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Jul 24, 2012, 09:16 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
The problem with the shuffle is that she wouldn't be able to select anything.
She's very particular about what she wants to hear, which we've always encouraged, and apart from that, a shuffle isn't useful for audiobooks/-plays.
I like the nano touch suggestion. I think I may go the burn-CD solution for now, though, and then pass on the old non-color iPod when she learns to read it.
Thanks for the input!
Good idea!
And andipandi is right, sometimes the "last century" thingies are essential especially on early developmental stages. So much time ahead of them. These devices are useful tools to aid their learning but I think a major part of their learning should still be based on old school techniques.
     
   
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