Teenager and laptop

angelil

cinderfella wrote: »

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:

To me it's not about the cost of the kit - it's the principle. Buy a child a laptop, and the next thing you know they'll be sneaking it up to their bedroom to play on it at all hours of the night, at an age where screen time should already be limited. I just think people are setting themselves up for disaster. Of course parenting and setting appropriate boundaries plays a part - but what teenager doesn't try to push those boundaries (and at times succeed in doing so)? Phones are even worse for this as smartphones are so cheap now, meaning that kids can be online 24/7 on a portable device that is easy to sneak around.

I just don't see why children need a laptop - what's wrong with a desktop? It doesn't even have to be one that the whole family uses - it just needs to be one that isn't in the kid's bedroom so that parents can regulate its use more easily. I never once said that kids shouldn't have access to a computer/the internet at home full stop.

lostinrates

angelil wrote: »

To me it's not about the cost of the kit - it's the principle. Buy a child a laptop, and the next thing you know they'll be sneaking it up to their bedroom to play on it at all hours of the night, at an age where screen time should already be limited. I just think people are setting themselves up for disaster. Of course parenting and setting appropriate boundaries plays a part - but what teenager doesn't try to push those boundaries (and at times succeed in doing so)? Phones are even worse for this as smartphones are so cheap now, meaning that kids can be online 24/7 on a portable device that is easy to sneak around.

I just don't see why children need a laptop - what's wrong with a desktop? It doesn't even have to be one that the whole family uses - it just needs to be one that isn't in the kid's bedroom so that parents can regulate its use more easily. I never once said that kids shouldn't have access to a computer/the internet at home full stop.

Well, there might be lots of reasons,

Lap tops are easier to take to school or college if appropriate. They might also be more suitable in small homes or homes with more than one computer needed....many kids trying to do homework at the some time as two work from home parents could pose a problem and a bank of desk tops!

Its quite possible to set rules and expect them adhered to. Generally I agree, I'm staggered by what kids have these days, but I see, having been not so long ago convinced, the argument for this. I'd rather they had a suitable laptop for work ( and leisure, and in sixth firm then she's got to be allowed some responsibility) than any hundreds of pounds worth of inappropriate clothes for example.

Others will feel differently again.

balletshoes

angelil wrote: »

To me it's not about the cost of the kit - it's the principle. Buy a child a laptop, and the next thing you know they'll be sneaking it up to their bedroom to play on it at all hours of the night, at an age where screen time should already be limited. I just think people are setting themselves up for disaster. Of course parenting and setting appropriate boundaries plays a part - but what teenager doesn't try to push those boundaries (and at times succeed in doing so)? Phones are even worse for this as smartphones are so cheap now, meaning that kids can be online 24/7 on a portable device that is easy to sneak around.

I just don't see why children need a laptop - what's wrong with a desktop? It doesn't even have to be one that the whole family uses - it just needs to be one that isn't in the kid's bedroom so that parents can regulate its use more easily. I never once said that kids shouldn't have access to a computer/the internet at home full stop.

its really very easy to restrict use of a laptop/tablet/mobile phone - if you want them to use it downstairs with parental permission, thats what they do - they aren't allowed them upstairs etc. If they don't follow the rules you lay down, they then have consequences (for example, the modem gets switched off).

minimoneysaver

Junior school children are expected to do research projects online and produce powerpoint presentations...well they are at the school I work at and at my daughters school. They also need access to maths and literacy sites to complete their homework.

daisiegg

Thanks - interesting comments.

rachbc

I get Oh's cast of technology then DS gets it from me so he gets stuff given as we update. He got my old macbook and OHs old iPhone just because we had them going spare. Lucky for us OH likes buying new stuff! Only think he has had new is iPad and that was present.

His internet access is limited to certain time slots during the day on all his online devices.

DD is only 6 but apparently 'needs' her own laptop - she can dream on for a few years yet!!

Bangton

Mobile phones, games consoles etc would be for presents only.

Laptop I would buy whenever the need arose as I know when I left school 12 years ago they were needed even then for homework/research purposes. We do have a laptop in the household for myself and OH so my first instinct was that they could use the 'family laptop' however I would struggle to share!!

System

It depends on need. If its just a want then it would be bought for Christmas or birthdays.

midnightraven3

all 3 of ours always had their own laptops, homework was emailed in, graded and emailed back. it went to school, or work on a memory stick went. That was WELL before 6th form. If they hadnt their own i would never have seen them as they would have been holed up in the library
All 3 are at uni now and still carry them daily, although they bought their own now and its macbooks. For them it was an essential part of school equipment so were bought as such. I see nothing wrong in making it a birthday/Christmas gift though

Treevo

For us, we'll be getting them each a laptop when they need it for school work so probably when they're 10/11. They won't be presents any more than school shoes will be.