Phone given to a six year old?

iammumtoone

OP have you considered this might be better from your point of view.

This way when your daughter visits she will bring her ipod with her, you can ask her to look at it and see for yourself what apps she has and keep and eye to make sure no SIM sneaks into it.

If she is using her mothers phone/tablet you have no way of knowing what apps she is using at home and if they are age appropriate. This way you can check and speak to her mother if and when there is an problem like an unsuitable app installed. If you are going to say something much better to wait until there is actually an issue that needs resolving.

onomatopoeia99

fibonarchie wrote: »

Anything, if there isn't a firewall, (and anything if there is, as a friend or older sibling will get round the firewall in a matter of minutes.)

Not if it's set up by someone with a clue they won't.

fibonarchie

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Not if it's set up by someone with a clue they won't.

digital natives will always be at an advantage over digital immigrants

meer53

fibonarchie wrote: »

Linked to screen use, yes. Do a bit of googling, there's loads of information out there. This is just one link. I could spend all day linking to various studies, but chances are you still wouldn't believe it. You know the old saying, there's none so deaf as those who don't want to hear.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/08/28/343735856/kids-and-screen-time-what-does-the-research-say?t=1534082102804

There's loads of information about everything a child may come across in life. I've never once worried about my children using electronic devices because i'm a responsible parent and would know if it was affecting them in any way. Normal parents don't just plonk their kids down with a phone or a tablet for hours a day, we all know they should be doing other things like playing out, taking exercise, spending time with their family etc

I'm not stupid, i'm quite capable (as are the majority of parents) in reading reports and studies and making my own decisions about my own children. Just because a study says usage of electronic gadgets may cause issues if used incorrectly, it doesn't mean it will. Show me a study that proves it.

You seem to be the one who doesn't want to hear any other viewpoint other than your own.

fibonarchie

meer53 wrote: »

There's loads of information about everything a child may come across in life. I've never once worried about my children using electronic devices because i'm a responsible parent and would know if it was affecting them in any way. Normal parents don't just plonk their kids down with a phone or a tablet for hours a day, we all know they should be doing other things like playing out, taking exercise, spending time with their family etc

I'm not stupid, i'm quite capable (as are the majority of parents) in reading reports and studies and making my own decisions about my own children. Just because a study says usage of electronic gadgets may cause issues if used incorrectly, it doesn't mean it will. Show me a study that proves it.

You seem to be the one who doesn't want to hear any other viewpoint other than your own.

Erm.. I just did
Plenty more out there, which you might also find useful.

You've never once worried about them using electronic gadgets because you don't know what they're up to on them, and/or it's a case of out of sight out of mind, perhaps?

Certainly the case with a lot of parents. They have no idea what their child's getting up to online, often with tragic consequences.

ska_lover

fibonarchie wrote: »

Certainly the case with a lot of parents. They have no idea what their child's getting up to online, often with tragic consequences.

Oh god, as awful as this is....it is true.

and it is true too, that kids / teens HIDE stuff from parents.

The whole debate, to me, is a moot point ....cos it ain't worth the risk.

meer53

fibonarchie wrote: »

Erm.. I just did
Plenty more out there, which you might also find useful.

You've never once worried about them using electronic gadgets because you don't know what they're up to on them, and/or it's a case of out of sight out of mind, perhaps?

Certainly the case with a lot of parents. They have no idea what their child's getting up to online, often with tragic consequences.

From your link :

"If used appropriately, it's wonderful," Hogan says of digital media. "We don't want to demonize media, because it's going to be a part of everybody's lives increasingly, and we have to teach children how to make good choices around it, how to limit it and how to make sure it's not going to take the place of all the other good stuff out there."

Some research suggests that screen time can have lots of negative effects on kids, ranging from childhood obesity and irregular sleep patterns to social and/or behavioral issues.

I can't see any proof in that article.

No, i have never worried about my kids using phones, they were sensible kids, (one is 18, the other is grown up but has always had phones/tablets etc) Some parents will allow their kids unlimited access/time on electronic gadgets without a further thought about what their kids are doing/watching. That doesn't mean all children should be banned from using them as you seem to think.

Times change, there will always be something that the researchers claim causes something or other, it's their job to find something. Read the studies, make your own decisions as to how you bring up your family/live your life. And don't believe everything you read in the media.

onlyroz

Seriously, nobody is suggesting giving a 6-year-old unlimited and unrestricted access to phones, apps, the internet, Facebook, youtube, twitter, instagram, snapchat, youp0rn, redtube etc etc.

There are, however, plenty of interesting, educational and fun things that a child of this age can do with an iPod-type device or tablet - assuming that they are supervised, the device has parental controls turned on, and they are not allowed to use it every hour under the sun.

Can you explain why I should prevent my kids from doing any of the following things with their device?

- Listening to music
- Listening to audiobooks
- Listening to age-appropriate podcasts or radio shows
- Watching videos (via e.g. a child account on Netflix, or Kids Youtube)
- Taking photographs or videos
- Editing photographs or videos
- Map reading
- Writing music (e.g. Garage Band or similar)
- Programming a robot (e.g. Lego Boost)
- Drawing pictures
- Learning times tables
- Learning spellings
- Learning a foreign language
- Playing age-appropriate puzzles and games
- Sending messages to friends and relatives
- Geocaching
- AR games like Pokemon Go

ska_lover

I mean when I was a kid, many moons ago, kids had to actually interact with each other. Social skills were learned

Nowadays, they just press buttons..and get ''achievements''

onlyroz

ska_lover wrote: »

I mean when I was a kid, many moons ago, kids had to actually interact with each other. Social skills were learned

Nowadays, they just press buttons..and get ''achievements''

On the other hand many older folk are hopelessly lost around technology, struggling with everything from the microwave to a cash machine, to dealing with online applications.

If you want to survive in a digital world then digital skills need to be learned. Responsible use of devices is a big part of that.