Ask HN: Parents, what's your iPad policy with your young kids?

I'm having my first kid soon and I'm torn on how to/when to introduce them to iPads.

On one hand, I see kids throw complete tantrums out in public until their parents give them their iPads, and I don't want that for our kids. My parents didn't let me use my gameboy at the dinner table, for example- but I see that happening all the time at restaurants where if the parents deny the kid their iPad they'll start crying or screaming at dinner.

I'm torn because on one hand I want to encourage curiosity and allow for the educational usage of them, but on the other I'm concerned about what it will do to their attention spans and ability to cope with life and their emotions without it.

Parents of HN, do you let your kids use an iPad? At what age? How often? For what purpose? No matter your answer, how do you feel that has turned out for you and your family?

We do 30 minutes of screen time on the weekends + a Saturday night family movie. That's it. We don't get asked to play on an ipad because of the rules that are in place. We don't bring an ipad with us. We do let up on that on plane rides.

I have a 4 and 2 year old - they do not know what an ipad is - you may be over worrying / over thinking it.

18 is too soon, but you won't be able to stop them because they're considered legal adults.

More seriously, even if I wanted them glued to a computer screen, I'd at least make them learn to use a keyboard and mouse. Electronics uses who are completely clueless how to do anything useful with a computer are a plague upon mankind.

I don't disagree with you but I think the right response to this kind of reflection is to set the same limits for yourself, not to let the kids have "far, far more time." I struggle with this myself.