Teenager and laptop

balletshoes

I'd buy them as christmas or birthday pressies, and replacements (due to the originals breaking/wearing out etc) as needed (so not necessarily the same model again).

However, if you asked my OH, he'd probably say any time :rotfl:.

cinderfella

I thought all school children were going to get iPads from school, for a small fee.
Computers can be obtained out of a skip or you could put a card in your local grocers requesting a freebie.
Net books are about £100 but slow. For that price school work can get done.
Smartphones are under £100 now. My huawei y300 plus 32 gb sd card cost £100.
Who pays - no idea, out of touch with family life, sorry.
:beer:

Prothet_of_Doom

angelil wrote: »

I wouldn't buy a child a laptop at all (can't see why they need one before 6th form) but that's for a whole other thread

If they really 'need' these items, then I'd get them for birthdays/Christmas - although perhaps, as said above, with a little leeway on timing depending on the situation.

Oldest Son, was given a laptop, on getting his GCSE's mostly A's, by my parents, with prompting from me, to get them to support him moving into 6th form.
Daughter, was complaining bitterly, about our knackered 'family' computer, so just as she was GCSE's I suggested to my parents, that they might like to make a similar guesture, but 2 years earlier.

You can debate if there was need. Our family computer is very slow, but functional.
If I hadn't managed to 'encourage my parents, then they would have got them as Christmas Presents.
Phones, on the other hand - Presents.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

angelil wrote: »

I wouldn't buy a child a laptop at all (can't see why they need one before 6th form) but that's for a whole other thread

If they really 'need' these items, then I'd get them for birthdays/Christmas - although perhaps, as said above, with a little leeway on timing depending on the situation.

Having seen DD2's homework (she's 14), it's pretty near impossible to complete school or homework now without one. The work is set by computer, lots of it is specifically required to be completed by computer, and even the stuff that isn't often consists of 'research online.......'. I feel sorry for those parents who can't afford one and internet access, as, seeing the state of the computers at the library, where memory sticks are banned and virus infection seems to be the rule rather than exception, those kids must get almost constant hassle from not being able to complete their homework.




ETA: My own qualifications would have been impossible to obtain without a computer and good internet access.

cutestkids

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Having seen DD2's homework (she's 14), it's pretty near impossible to complete school or homework now without one. The work is set by computer, lots of it is specifically required to be completed by computer, and even the stuff that isn't often consists of 'research online.......'. I feel sorry for those parents who can't afford one and internet access, as, seeing the state of the computers at the library, where memory sticks are banned and virus infection seems to be the rule rather than exception, those kids must get almost constant hassle from not being able to complete their homework.




ETA: My own qualifications would have been impossible to obtain without a computer and good internet access.

I have to agree with this my son started secondary school this year and so far he has had homework where he logs on to a Maths website where the teachers has left tasks to be completed online.
He has English homework in the form of a blog which then is emailed to his teacher on completion.

He has needed it to research for several other subjects also.

Although we have a laptop at home, there are four of us here I am doing an OU course so I need the laptop a lot, my younger son uses it as does my OH so we are all at the moment competing for time on it.

I know there are people who will say that you can use the school or library which in theory is fine but the reality is very different.

The schools allows access three days after school there are 10 laptops and it is a first come first served basis, if they stay behind to use the laptops then they miss the bus home, the next bus is not until after 6pm and it is a 7 mile walk from home to school.

The local town library have 5 computer stations, they close at 4 most days apart from a Wednesday and a Sunday when they don't open at all on a Saturday they host under 8's story telling book club in the computer area in the morning and have workshops in the afternoon for OAP's to learn about computers.

I am sure others think that they can look it up in a book but to be honest the majority of what is done is interactive online.

silvercar

I think the first laptop, mobile, smart phone, PS3 came as presents. When they need replacing the replacement has generally been at the time of need.

Seanymph

Phones came because they needed to contact me when they were with their father.

laptops when they went to secondary.

Neither were ever occasion gifts.

Spendless

I wondered that too about laptops, but am wondering if they were talking about not giving a child their own laptop as opposed to having a family PC?

Certainly internet access is needed I found from yr 7 onwards and no library visits and homework clubs won't do. We only have a mobile library service once a fortnight and no library with computers within walking distance. The nearest equipped library 2 bus rides away and you'd have to pre-book your time slot which might not always be possible. Homework club means the school bus has gone and there's no public transport to connect school and home and the walking route not safe during darker nights.

dibuzz

My kids are old enough to buy their own now but they were mostly presents in the past.

busiscoming2

Phones and games consoles are definitely presents. I haven't actually bought any of my children a laptop or pc. We had a family pc until a couple of years ago and now have laptops. DS1 bought his first laptop when he went into sixth form (saved EMA and wages from Sat job) he then passed that onto DS2 when he bought himself a newer one.

DD had our family pc when she went to uni as we had a new one built for us.